Siku Choka 27
by Machungwa63
Summary: You needn't have read "The Siku Choka" to understand this. 2 years have passed since "The Siku Choka" and now Nala decides she wants to have a go at this game that's cross between "The Hunger Games" and greyhound racing. However, so many people loved the Simba/Nala banter in "The Siku Choka" that I decided, to Nala's horror, that Simba should enter too.
1. Chapter 1

**(A/N: I don't know if I'm going to continue with this. I don't know if I'll get writer's block during chapter 2, no reviews and no motivation and I'll take it down and go back to "retirement." Alternatively, I may get sucked into this myself, lots of reviews and begin posting more stories. Needless to say, if you enjoy it - review! And any suggestions are welcome - tell me if you're looking for something shorter than "The Siku Choka," same length or whatever. Watched TLK 1, 2, 1.5 and read TLK:6NA? If you saw a character there - Disney owns it. If you didn't, they're mine (the concept of the Siku Choka is mine too). Enjoy!)**

* * *

"Fifteen paw prints," stated Nala, looking down at the indents in the ground. "They all belong to this year's Siku Choka competitors," she continued, scanning the prints. She sighed. "And there's mine," she finished off, hovering her paw over the print she had made two days ago.

One of the Siku Choka workers, a leopard, was standing opposite her.

"Just place your paw in your paw print, Ma'am and, once I can confirm that it's yours, I will let you proceed to the infield with the other competitors."

Nala lifted her head up away from the ground and turned until she was facing her mate, standing next to her.

"You sure you're okay with this?" she asked.

Simba didn't give a nod or any sign that he approved of what Nala was doing, but he didn't give her any signs of disapproval either.

"You're a very intelligent lioness, Nala. You know your own weaknesses but you're a very good huntress. I know you love your daughter as much as I do and if you ever thought for a moment that you were not capable of surviving this, I know you would've never entered yourself."

Nala smiled. His speech sounded rehearsed, but she knew it had come from the heart. She moved in a step towards him and licked him on the cheek.

"Thank you Simba," she said, taking a step back. She turned back towards the leopard. "Okay," she stated, "I'm ready now." She placed her paw inside her paw print.

"So am I," added Simba, placing his paw inside his own.

Nala looked across to see what her mate had just done. Her smile instantly fell.

"Simba…no…"

"Sorry Nala," replied her mate, "it's too late to turn back now."

Nala gasped and looked up at him. He was serious!

"Simba, you can't be…?"

Simba didn't reply. He just looked his mate back in the eye. The look he gave her showed that he was.

"No Simba!" Nala finally broke. "I won't have this! You _can't_ enter the Siku Choka!"

"Why not?" asked Simba.

"Why—SIMBA! Look…couldn't you have told me before now? At least we could've discussed this!"

"You never would've said 'yes.'"

"Darn right I wouldn't have! Do you know the first _thing_ about hunting?"

Simba glared at his mate. "Did I not help the hunting party bring down an elephant on our anniversary?"

"Well…yes…but…"

"Did I not kill a wildebeest on your birthday?"

"Okay…but…honey, listen…"

"Was I not, for the first time _ever_, able to pin you two weeks ago?"

"I WAS ASLEEP!"

"Still counts."

"Simba – LISTEN! Seriously, listen! Okay…so maybe you can hunt. Gosh darn it, Simba – every lion can hunt! The Siku Choka is for those who are _exceptional_ at it. N—no offense Simba, b—but…"

"No, none taken Nala, seriously. I understand what you're getting at, but…"

"What was the first question they asked you when you went to sign up?" snapped Nala, interrupting her mate.

Simba thought back to it for a second. "Do you think _you_ have what it takes to win the Siku Choka?"

"Exactly. And what did you reply?"

"Yes. They don't let you compete if you say 'no.'"

Nala sighed. "Alright, so maybe you knew that…but look, hun…I'm not going to kick you out if you say 'no,' but, seriously…I'm your mate…now tell me, do you _seriously_ think you have what it takes to win?"

Simba nodded. That still wasn't good enough for Nala. She shook her head.

"Simba, tell me three things you even _know_ about the Siku Choka."

"It lasts 24 hours, you get 10 points for bringing down a piece of prey and 1 point for completing a lap on our 1.5 mile circuit, and a lot of lions die."

Nala groaned. "You still don't get it, do you?"

Simba moaned too. "Alright," he finally said, "you want to know how I really feel? Come here – give me your ear."

Nala did as he asked and moved her ear close for him to whisper into.

"I think," Simba whispered, "you don't want me to enter because you don't want to be humiliated in front of our pride when I kick your butt at your own game."

Nala glared.

So _that's_ how he was going to be, was it?

"Okay Simba," Nala stated. "You win. I give in. Your paw print's on the ground, you're in the Siku Choka. Good luck to you. Just don't expect me to spoon-feed you again when it starts."

Nala stormed off in a huff towards the infield. Simba looked back over at the leopard. "She'll get over it," he told him.

* * *

"So tell me how this works again," Timon demanded.

"Very well," Zazu sighed, annoyed that neither he nor Pumbaa had understood it the first _five_ times. "You see these fifteen paw prints? You place those ten bugs you have on the paw print of the competitor that you think will win. If they win, you win."

"Win? Win _what?"_

"Well that depends. Pick a paw print first."

"Hmm…" said Timon and Pumbaa aloud as they looked down at the paw prints.

"Who won it last year, Pumbaa?"

"I think Nala said it was Tumaini."

"So another lioness. That makes two wins for females in a row. I think it's time a male is due for a win…so…this paw print here looks like it was made by a big, muscular male lion – who's does that belong to?"

Zazu sighed. "That's not one of the competitors paw prints, Timon. That's a paw print from where you were just standing."

"Oh…"

"I think _this_ is the print you're looking for!" exclaimed Pumbaa, pointing down at the biggest of the fifteen _actual _paw prints.

"Excellent," replied Timon, "Zazu…Pumbaa and I will put our ten bugs on _this_ competitor."

"Good choice," replied Zazu. "I put five berries on that same lion. His name is Tonka. He is a rookie but he is very strong and very friendly – he has been very cooperative with our pride during negotiations over the years."

"Blah, blah, blah, come on Zazu – just tell me how much we'll win."

"Unfortunately a lot of lions think he will win, so you will only get twenty bugs back if he does."

"Twenty!" exclaimed Timon. "That's it?"

"But if you bet your bugs on Juveda," Zazu continued, "you will get three hundred bugs if she wins."

"But then that means she probably won't win then?"

"Correct."

"Hmm," thought Timon, "what do you think, Sarafina?" he asked aloud as the former Siku Choka champion walked on by him.

"Mm-mmm-mm-hm-mm."

"You want to put Kiara down on the ground first and then reply?"

Sarafina dropped the young cub out of her mouth. "I said, split them," she replied. "Put five on Tonka and five on Juveda…though personally I was hoping you'd bet on my dau—"

Timon gasped. "Pumbaa, I just had a _great_ idea. Let's split the bugs – five on Tonka and five on Juveda!"

Sarafina frowned.

"Great!" Pumbaa replied.

"Very well gents," Zazu concluded. "Give me your ten bugs and I'll make sure they get to the officials."

Timon handed them over into the hornbill's wings.

Zazu looked down at the bugs. He held one up in the air.

"This one is dead," he commented.

"So?" shrugged Timon. "We can still eat them."

* * *

"Sarafina? Is that you?"

Nala whirled around. "Pardon?"

"Oh…sorry…nope, it's not. I—I thought you were, from behind you looked like…"

Nala chuckled. "It's okay Lenny. Sarafina's my mother. Lots of lions think we look alike. I'm Nala, by the way."

"Okay, well hi Nala but…how did you know _my_ name?"

"I saw the Siku Choka two years ago. I remember faces. So you're in it again, huh?"

"Yup!"

"And your brother Bahati? And what about his new mate, Nakshi?"

"Nah, they're back ruling the kingdom. Shouldn't you be doing the same? You're the queen of these lands, right?"

"Well, yes…but…"

"Ah, I get it. Your mate's protecting the lands today?"

Nala sighed. "Sadly, no. He entered himself into this event too."

"What's wrong with that? You've already got yourself a teammate!"

"I just don't know if he's up to this though, Lenny. He's not exactly the best hunter on Earth."

"Neither am I, but hunting's only half of it Nala! It's something I learned last year. If you play your strategy right, you can score points in this game without _ever_ being in danger!" Lenny exclaimed enthusiastically.

"Really? Did that _work_ for you?"

"Eh…not really. I finished last."

…

"Oh…"

"But…" continued Lenny, "…just think about it. Perhaps your husband's not the best hunter on Earth, but how much strategy does he know? Did you ever teach him Siku Choka strategy when you were watching two years ago?"

"Um…"

Nala tried to think back.

_"This is not a race."_

_ "When it gets down to the final hour or two, or even three, the hunting and killing picks up a lot."_

_"Try to use the darkness to your advantage just before the sun rises, then you can sleep until there's just a couple of hours left."_

_"Because we bank the circuit on both sides the prey feel as if they're locked in, and there's the fact that all of our scents and sounds means that it's a lot harder for the prey to work out where the competitors are."_

_"What could be a brilliant strategy could turn out to be nothing. And most of the time, you use strategy just to get a mere ten points…but then the next second you could end up having someone like Tumaini who scores fifty points at once purely through luck."_

"…maybe."

"Then maybe he thinks he can win on strategy! I don't know…be confident at the least. If you don't feel good about his chances, why should he? Pfbt…listen to me blabbing on. I always finish last, what do I know? I'm off to take a nap before the event starts – see you soon!" And, as quick as he had appeared, Lenny disappeared.

Nala watched him walk away with a newfound sense of respect for him. Yes, his mane was…well, it wasn't, and he wasn't the smartest or strongest lion on Earth…but boy, he was full of wisdom! For the first time since her argument, Nala was able to muster a smile. Perhaps Simba was right after all…

* * *

**(A/N: Well, let me know what you all think!)**


	2. Chapter 2

**(A/N: Alright - let's do this then!)**

* * *

Simba could tell that his mate was still smiling as she made her way over towards him.

_That's it, then,_ he thought, _she's finally gotten over it._

Nala continued to smile, with her eyes affixed to Simba all the way until she approached him and gave him a nuzzle and lick on the cheek.

"So what finally won you over?" Simba asked.

"Lenny reminded me that a big part of this game was strategy. And I figure you'd be good at that."

"Ah."

"But hun, promise me something," Nala added, taking a step back and looking him ever deeper into the eyes, "please be careful. I don't know what I'd do without you."

Simba sighed but was able to manage a smile at the same time. "I will," he replied. "But…if something does happen to me, you have my permission to marry Guvu."

"Simba…"

"Of course if you wouldn't want to, that's fine too…"

"Simba…look…if either of us get into trouble who's going to be there for Kiara?"

"The pride," Simba replied instantly. "You know them, they'd give her the royal treatment. She'd grow up to be a spoiled, pathetic moron."

"Well we need to be there for her then…to make sure that _doesn't_ happen."

"Agreed."

"Besides," added Nala, "I wouldn't like to marry Guvu now, anyways."

"Really?" inquired Simba. "Why not?"

"His best days are behind him…he finished fifth last year. Rumor has it this is his final Siku Choka. No…all the hype now is on Elvis."

"Okay…what does he look like?"

"I don't know, but he finished third last year and listen to that name, _Elvis," _Nala sung.

Simba blinked. He didn't know quite how to put this. "Nala, hun…just because a lion has a name like 'Elvis' doesn't mean that he's…" but Simba's explanation was cut short as a young, handsome lion with the front of his black mane hanging over his forehead and an upper lip that was curled on one side walked on by.

Nala sighed as she watched him. "Isn't he dreamy?" she asked.

Simba mumbled as a response. "Note to self, push Elvis off buffalo in front of stampede…"

"I know Rafiki said that only fools rush in, but I can't help falling in love with him."

"May I hit on one of the female competitors too?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"Because I'm like that."

"There are thirteen competitors out there who all may want to kill you, Nal. Don't make it fourteen."

Nala chuckled. "Simba, don't take it so _seriously_," she said, giving him a playful shove. "If I didn't love you, I wouldn't have been so mad with you earlier."

"Somehow that makes sense," Simba replied. "I mean…like this Elvis guy is _really_ like the _real_ Elvis."

"He's from the Dixieland Pride," Nala added, looking back at him.

…

"Okay, well maybe he is a bit, but at least you still know who protects you and your kingdom."

"Alright folks!" suddenly came a voice through a loudspeaker. Simba and Nala recognized that voice instantly. It belonged to Kanafa the cheetah, the former assistant to Bwana Zungumza. Bwana Zungumza was _the _lion that had organized the Siku Choka until he had passed away a year and a half ago. Now, Kanafa was in charge. "Are you ready to meet your fifteen Siku Choka competitors?"

The crowd let out a cheer. Simba and Nala had been so lost in arguing with each other that they hadn't realized how much of a crowd had built up. Lions, cheetahs, leopards, jackals, meerkats, ostriches and more filled up the four rolling hills that surrounded the track-and-field shaped dirt oval on each of its four sides. The elephants and giraffes found more comfortable spots standing in the flat pieces of ground between each hill. The only animals that weren't present on the hillsides were antelope, zebra and buffalo. They were all gathered in the infield. The hunting party had cornered them earlier so that they could be used for the game. Many of them wouldn't be needed at all and would be released the next day when the event ended. The Siku Choka only ever took place in prides with excessive numbers of herds to help keep down the number of herbivores that were eating their grass.

"Alright then," continued Kanafa, "here they are!"

"Competing in her first ever Siku Choka, from the Ngorongoro Pride, let's hear it for Bilauri!"

The crowd around the four hills let out another cheer. Sure, they didn't really know who this lioness was, but _any_ rookie entering the Siku Choka for the first time was a brave soul.

"Hmm…" murmured Nala, "…middle aged…female, healthy, looks like she had a good sleep last night," she said as she watched the lioness pace out onto the track in front of the crowd. "I'd give her a six."

"Oh, we're rating them are we?" asked Simba back. "Okay…um…eh…seven."

"From the Eastlands, competing in her second consecutive Siku Choka, let's hear it for Eboni!" exclaimed Kanafa as a brown lioness made her way out onto the circuit.

Nala thought for a second. _Hmm…what are the odds for this one?_ she asked herself. Finally, she told Simba: "Seven."

"Seven," Simba replied again.

"The same you gave Bilauri?" Nala asked, bewildered. "Eboni has experience…Bilauri doesn't."

"Oh, we were rating them on ability? I was rating them on their…um…physical appearance."

Nala rolled her eyes.

"King of the Dixieland Pride, competing in his second consecutive Siku Choka also, let's hear it for Elvis!"

The cheer that came from the crowd sounded a little bit more feminine this time.

Nala smirked. "Eleven," she said.

"Not after I get through with him," Simba replied.

"Competing in his _fifth_ consecutive Siku Choka and two-time champion, from the Grassland Pride, let's hear it for Guvu!" exclaimed Kanafa.

Simba and Nala found it difficult to exchange ratings this time. Despite not having won in his last two outings, Guvu was still popular and the crowd was letting him know it.

"Competing in her first ever Siku Choka, from the Kijanilands, give it up for Juveda!"

The crowd went to cheer but some of them hesitated. They all thought back to when Tumaini had made her debut. Her fur had looked just as scruffy…if not a little less. So perhaps this lioness didn't have all the looks, but could she still possibly have the personality? Nope. She didn't acknowledge the crowd. She didn't even wave at them. She just walked her way out onto the circuit, did the pacing that she'd been told to do, and walked her way back into the crowd in the infield. The whole time, her head was hanging.

Simba and Nala exchanged glances.

_Could she be the next Wamariri?_

They both were a bit worried. Wamariri was a lioness who had infamously crept her way on by the rulebook in order to help her win the Siku Choka. She never managed it, however. She had only gone and killed a lot of lions before finally meeting her own demise in the 25th running of the Siku Choka.

"From the Majani Pride, competing in his third consecutive Siku Choka, let's hear it for Lenny!" called out Kanafa.

Simba and Nala felt a bit bad when they heard the lack of applause Lenny got. Just because he wasn't any good at this game didn't mean they shouldn't congratulate him. They would have joined in themselves but they knew that they'd probably get a few funny looks from the other competitors if they did.

"From the Kaskazi Pride, competing in her first Siku Choka, let's make some noise for Linda!"

Simba shook his head. "What's with all these English-sounding names?" he asked Nala.

"Actually, Linda means 'to protect' in Swahili," Nala corrected him.

"Oh…"

"Competing in her first Siku Choka, your female Nyimbas…" began Kanafa.

"Uh oh," said Simba, looking back at his mate. "You know what that means, Nala," he said.

Nala indeed knew what it meant. "Nyimbas" was a term given to any lion or lioness competing in front of their home pride.

"…from right here in the Pridelands, let's hear it for your queen – Nala!" called Kanafa.

Just like her mother had two years before, Nala took her own first steps out onto the dirt circuit. She looked up at the crowd and saw the massive amounts of animals that were all there, cheering for her. She didn't bother trying to find her own pride, but she knew that they were probably sitting somewhere along the frontstretch.

Back in the infield, Simba watched his mate go along down the track.

"Eight," he said to himself.

"Competing in her second consecutive Siku Choka, from the Serengeti Border Pride, let's hear it for Peponi!" called Kanafa.

The crowd let out a roar of approval this time. Obviously she must have put on quite a show the year before. But, Simba noticed, there may have been a little more to it than that…

Nala made her way back over to her mate.

"Good grief," she chuckled, "you feel the ground rumble when you go out there – it's incredible!"

However, Nala stopped rambling as she realized that her mate's eyes were affixed onto something else. Nala looked out onto the circuit and saw the lioness that had gone out behind her.

Even Nala couldn't deny it, she _was_ a nice-looking lioness, but she had to check that Simba remembered who it was that caught the meals that fed him…

"Simba," called Nala, with a hint of a sharp tone in the back of her voice, "how would you rate her?" she asked, pointing towards Peponi.

Simba shrugged. "She is pretty," he admitted. "I'll give her a nine. I reserved the 'ten' for you."

"Aha," replied Nala, "sure you did."

"From the Lionrock Pride, competing in her fifth Siku Choka…she's taken a year off, ladies and gentlemen but I'm sure you remember her…give it up for Shairi!"

Nala's eyes grew. "Oh, the sisters are here?" she asked, checking back out towards the track. Sure enough she could see that, as the golden yellow lioness took her first step out onto the track, a lioness that was slightly younger than her, but otherwise similarly looking, was watching her go as she departed from her side.

Simba and Nala recognized that other lioness. Her name was Winda and she had almost won the Siku Choka two years ago despite being a rookie. Rumor had it that she had done very well in the 26th running as well. Shairi, on the other paw, had been feared dead for the longest time during the 25th Siku Choka. At the end of the event, Rafiki had diagnosed Shairi with a twisted windpipe and he was able to fix it for her and save the lioness's life. Shairi had probably "taken the year off" under Mommy orders. But now she was back! Yet one could wonder whether her being "killed" had made her lose the nerve for this game. They would soon find out…

"Competing in his fifth Siku Choka also, from the Nyaziland Pride, let's hear it for Shemshi!"

A male lion walked out onto the circuit this time, greeted by a great chorus of applause.

Simba was confused. "How come I've never heard of Shemshi?" he asked.

"He quit because of Wamariri," Nala replied. "He didn't want to risk his life competing against her. I guess once he learned that she's dead, he came back."

"So has he won any?"

Nala shook her head 'no.'

"He's came close though," she added.

"And now, let's give a warm welcome to your second nyimbas, King of the Pridelands, competing in his first Siku Choka – Simba!"

The ground shook in the infield this time when Simba walked out onto the course. Nala wasn't too surprised; the story of how Simba had defeated Scar and brought back prosperity and peace to the Pridelands was well-known.

"I was the one who told him to come back," muttered Nala to herself, "just saying…"

She looked back out onto the circuit.

"He's only a six anyways," she added, smiling.

"And now, King of the Southkenya Pride, competing in his first Siku Choka, let's hear it for Tonka!"

"Yay," said Simba as he walked back up to Nala. "He's always fun to have negotiations with. I wish the best for him." Then, he turned back to face his mate. "So…did you smack talk me when I went out on the circuit too?"

"I wouldn't have if you hadn't," replied Nala.

"How do you know I did?"

"You did," she replied. "I just know these things."

"And now, ladies and gentlemen, it's time to make even _more_ noise – let's hear it for your reigning Siku Choka champion – all the way from the Mimpaka Pride, in her third Siku Choka – Tumaini!"

The ground shook more for Tumaini than it did for any of the other competitors. Not just that she was the reigning champion, but she had became a personality outside of the track too. She had changed so much from her first outing when she had been all about winning. Over time, she had learnt to just have fun in this game and to give the crowd what they came to see. Last year, it had paid off well for her. Simba and Nala knew that it could this year too.

"And now, last but definitely not least, last year's runner up – competing in her fourth Siku Choka, from the Lionrock Pride, give it up for Winda!" shouted Kanafa. The crowd did as he commanded. "And that concludes the competitor introductions for the twenty-seventh running of the Siku Choka," said Kanafa, putting the loudspeaker back down.

Simba took a deep breath. He knew that was it. It was time. He had stood in line, he had buckled in, and now it was time to go on the rollercoaster. It's a sucky feeling when you're not ready.

Nala knew this and so she turned and licked him on the cheek. "You're going to do fine," she reassured him. "It starts off easy anyways. Just one antelope. They don't release the zebra and buffalo until later."

Simba nodded his head. "Thanks Nal'," he replied, taking each of her words to heart.

"Well!" Nala finally exclaimed, letting the butterflies that had been building up inside her finally pop out, "let's get onto the track – shall we?"

"Lead the way," Simba replied.

* * *

**(A/N: Want a short list of the competitors? Here you go:**

**Bilauri (female)**

**Eboni (female)**

**Elvis (male)**

**Guvu (male)**

**Juveda (female) - similar personality to a lioness called Juveda that I wrote about with fanfiction author Kovukono in a story called "I Don't Love You"**

**Lenny (male)**

**Linda (female)**

**Nala (female)**

**Peponi (female) - also the title of an awesome song by "The Piano Guys"**

**Shairi (female)**

**Shemshi (male)**

**Simba (male)**

**Tonka (male)**

**Tumaini (female)**

**Winda (female)**

**p.s. Even though I've decided that I'm going ahead with the story, reviews will still be appreciated!)**


	3. Chapter 3

Timon, Pumbaa, Sarafina and the rest of the Pridelanders watched as the field stepped out onto the track. Pumbaa looked down next to him and found a large stick lying on the ground. He picked it up and held it up high in the air.

"Pumbaa, what are you doing?" asked Timon.

"Flagging a score reporter down, Timon. Don't you remember? We hold these up in the air and a bird will come down and tell us how many points each of the competitors has."

"Yes, but Pumbaa…the game hasn't started yet. No one has any points."

"I know that," replied Pumbaa, "but I'm trying to get Zazu down to watch the start with us."

Suddenly, a red hornbill flew down in front of them and landed in front of Pumbaa's feet.

"Can I help you gents?" it asked.

"Sorry," replied Pumbaa, "not Zazu."

The red hornbill flew off and Pumbaa lifted the stick up again.

"How may I be of service?"

"Sorry, not Zazu."

And again.

"What is it that you would wish to know?"

"Not Zazu either."

And again.

"Could I assist you all with anything?"

"Nope."

"Pumbaa!" exclaimed Sarafina, "that was Zazu!" she pointed out as the blue hornbill flew off.

"Oh…right…Zazu! Come back!" called Pumbaa.

The blue hornbill continued to fly off.

"Oh well," said Timon, shrugging, "we don't need him to watch this with us. I'm sure he's got plenty of stuff to do." Timon looked back down at the circuit. "Hey," he said, "looks like everything's ready. Once they get a zebra and a buffalo out there they should be good to go."

"They don't need to," replied Sarafina, getting up on her feet, "remember? They don't release the zebra and buffalo until later. The event starts with everyone chasing the antelope."

Sarafina looked back out across the circuit. All the competitors were lining up behind the starting line and facing themselves ready to run in the counterclockwise direction. Towards the inside of the circuit were those who were planning on chasing down the antelope. Towards the middle of the circuit were those who planned on running, but not necessarily after the antelope. Then, towards the outside of the circuit were those who were planning on trotting or walking their way around the first lap and getting off to an easy start.

"Simba and Nala are towards the outside," commented Pumbaa. "Do you think they can hear us?"

"They could if we called them," replied Sarafina, "but don't. I'm sure they're doing a lot of concentrating right now."

* * *

Simba was planning on walking from the start. He knew that the daytime wasn't the best time for hunting, so why waste his energy now? He knew _why_ the fast ones would want to get the first antelope though: bragging rights. Simba sometimes had difficulty remembering who had finished second when Sarafina had won the Siku Choka, but he could always remember who had taken the first piece of prey down. It had been Uku, the most successful Siku Choka competitor of all time. She had made her final appearance in the Siku Choka two years ago at the age of 16. Unfortunately, she was never able to make it to the end as she passed away during the event in her sleep.

Simba's thoughts were interrupted as he heard a lioness sigh next to him. He looked over to see if he recognized her. He didn't, but at a guess he thought it was either Bilauri or Linda.

"Nervous?" he asked.

"I am," admitted the lioness, "but I don't see why I should be. Every time I watch this game it seems that a bunch of the competitors are idiots."

"Really?" asked Simba. "What makes you say that?"

"Only one time during the past ten years has the lion that caught the first piece of prey actually gone on to win the event…I don't see why that crowd over there is so obsessed with that antelope."

Simba raised his eyebrows. This lioness seemed to know a lot about the history of this game…perhaps she could help him?

"Mind me asking you…um…"

"Bilauri."

"Bilauri…but do you know what the _least_ amount of points a competitor has scored? You know, one that has actually completed the whole game?"

"73," replied the lioness. "Amy. Siku Choka 3. She finished 18th of 20 that day."

Simba smiled. This lioness could _really_ be of use to him. Now he knew that, as long as he got 74 points or more, he would _not_ go down as the worst Siku Choka competitor in history!

A cheer began to pick up on the hills.

"Kanafa must be picking up the loudspeaker," said Bilauri, "I guess it's time."

Sure enough, the next thing that Simba heard was the cheetah's voice coming through the loudspeaker.

"Competitors…ready!" he exclaimed. "…set…and…the twenty-seventh running of the Siku Choka is – _GO!"_

* * *

Peponi led Eboni, Shairi, Linda, Winda and Tumaini as they chased after the antelope. Lenny was also running but was far behind the lead pack of six while Nala and Juveda had started off on a trot. The rest all began sluggishly walking behind them.

An echo bounced off the hills as the crowd's cheers grew in the first of the two long turns. Peponi was quick and, consequently, it was almost inevitable that she would catch the first antelope. Thus, Eboni began to back off. She could now try and conserve her energy before she raced after the next antelope. However, Peponi stumbled. She made her move on the antelope too early and his hoof caught her in the shoulder blade. It wasn't enough to hurt Peponi, but it was enough to cause her to fall over.

Eboni would've been the next in line to make a charge on the antelope but, since she had already slowed, she had been passed by Shairi. The golden lioness was now right on the antelope's heels and, soon afterwards, on his back. Shairi brought the antelope down and picked up the first ten points of the event.

The crowd congratulated her with hoots, hollers and cheers that could be heard from outside the Prideland borders.

Shairi got back up onto her feet to find her sister standing next to her.

"Nice catch," said Winda.

Shairi looked back down at the antelope, proud of what she'd been able to accomplish.

"Lost the nerve, eh?" she said to Winda. "I don't think so."

* * *

"Is that guy a rookie?" Bilauri asked, looking back over her shoulder.

"Uh…_that_ guy? Yeah…that's Tonka…he's a rookie."

"I can tell," Bilauri replied.

"Why?" Simba asked back.

"Well he's waiting in ambush for the next antelope. It's not going to work this early in the game. The field is spread out. Someone will come and chase that antelope down before it passes him."

Simba understood what Bilauri was saying. 'Ambushing' was a common strategy used in the Siku Choka. The predators and the prey could only walk in one direction around the circuit: counterclockwise. Therefore, if there wasn't any prey in front of you, you could actually stop on the circuit and just wait until the next piece of prey came walking around. The problem with that strategy now, as Bilauri had pointed out, was that the prey was never in a hurry unless it was being chased. It would take several minutes for the second antelope, which was casually biding his time, to make his way on by Tonka. However, time had passed and Eboni, Linda and Tumaini were already making their way out of the final of the two long left turns. Once one of them had brought the antelope down, a new one would be released, and chances are that that one would be brought down by Lenny, Peponi or Winda, who were also all still running around the circuit. It was simply too early in the game for the ambushing strategy to work.

Simba and Bilauri continued to walk together while Nala and Juveda continued their trot farther up the track. Neither of them was making alliances with each other. It was too early for that. They just happened to be walking at the same pace as each other.

Meanwhile, Tonka was slowly beginning to work out why his strategy wasn't going to work. That was…until Eboni, Linda and Tumaini slowed down. The crowd grew silent behind him. Tonka knew what was going on.

The crowd could certainly have an influence on the outcome of the game. You wanted to have them on your side. If they liked you, they'd be quiet when you were trying to hunt down a piece of prey. If they didn't, which, in the past, usually meant your name was Wamariri, they would make a lot of noise which, consequently, would startle the prey and cause it to spring out into a run. But for now the crowd didn't really know _who_ they liked and thus they were quiet whenever anyone was beginning a hunt.

Eboni, Linda and Tumaini were now all lined up side-to-side, slowly creeping their way towards the antelope. They would wait until each of them thought that the moment was right. They didn't want to go too early because they wanted to get as close to the prey as they could, yet they couldn't leave it too late either or else one of the other competitors could break out into a run first. Or, worse, if they left it too late the antelope might sense their presence, go off into a run, and be ambushed by Tonka instead.

Everyone within the four hills knew how this strategy was played.

_Well…_thought Tumaini…_everyone except for…_she heard a lion running from behind her.

She gasped quietly. "Lenny," she whispered to herself. Faintly, she could hear him approaching. She checked back over at Eboni and Linda to see if either of them had heard her. They were both giving her strange looks, trying to work out what she had just said.

Tumaini smiled. "Bye bye," she said, and she sprinted off into a run.

Eboni and Linda were confused. Why had she started the run _now?_ It was too ear…

Lenny ran on by them.

…ly.

The crowd began to cheer as Tumaini led Lenny as they both began to charge after the galloping antelope.

Tumaini was faster, lighter and in front though. It wasn't much of a challenge for her. Ten points for the antelope and one point for the lap she had just completed gave her a grand total of eleven points, putting her in the lead.

The lioness she had taken the lead from, Shairi, had found her pride sitting on the hills on the backstretch. She lied down on the outside of the track right in front of them. She was away from where all the competitors would be running and thus she was safe. She already had ten points and, until they released the zebra and the buffalo out onto the track, there wasn't a whole lot more she could get. Now, she could drift off to sleep knowing that, when a zebra and a buffalo _were_ released out onto the circuit, her pride would be there on the hillside to wake her.

Shairi's sister, Winda, was in a chase with Peponi after the new antelope that had been released. After suffering defeat on the first antelope, Peponi was determined to get this one, and thus she was the first on the antelope's back. However, Winda had been playing this game for a slight bit longer than Peponi had. She knew all the tricks now.

Peponi was on the antelope's back and was beginning to drag him down, but she hadn't been able to reach up towards his neck and kill him yet.

_Perhaps she needs help with that part,_ Winda thought. Winda jumped up onto the antelope's back herself and delivered the fatal bite on the neck. The antelope collapsed and Winda scored her first ten points of the game.

"Hmm," said Peponi, looking down at the dead carcass, "now, I've lost both of my kills to you Lionrock sisters."

Winda smiled. "Get used to it," she replied.

Peponi smiled back. "Oh," she said, "I don't plan on that."

* * *

Nala looked up. A new antelope was being released out onto the circuit. She checked over her shoulder. Juveda was trotting behind her, still not taking her eyes off the ground much. Nala tried to look around for any sign of a lion that was about to pass her.

There was none.

Finally, she understood. Butterflies filled her chest.

_I'm next…_

Her Siku Choka was about to start…

* * *

**(A/N: Don't worry, I'm sure Simba and Nala will find each other on the course at some point during the game. Reviews appreciated!)**


	4. Chapter 4

Lenny and Tumaini were both sitting on the outside of the circuit after the starting line. They were lined up in, what would usually be referred to as "ambush." However, that was the last of their plans right now. Peponi and Winda were now doing the same thing, as Tonka was still, while Eboni and Linda had gone on to run another lap.

"Sarafina," addressed Pumbaa in the crowd, "why is everyone lining up in ambush? I thought it was too early for them to use that strategy."

"It is," replied Sarafina, "but they're not all waiting in ambush for the antelope. They're all waiting for the zebra. They have to go for a decent period of time without a kill before they release it though."

"So they're just going to let the antelope walk on by?"

"Not this one," Sarafina replied, "I think Nala wants to get this one, but after that, then yes, they'll just stop killing the antelopes."

The crowd grew into a hush as Nala and Juveda slowed their pace down and began to size the antelope up.

"Shh," whispered Sarafina, "it's almost time now…"

* * *

Nala knew Juveda was behind her, so she knew she couldn't wait as long as she liked. She would have to make her move soon if she was going to get this antelope which, as of right now, was unaware that either of the two lionesses was stalking him.

Suddenly, Nala began to hear Juveda pick up the pace from behind her. She checked over her shoulder.

_Surely she can't be starting this early?_

Sure enough, as quickly as she had picked up the pace, Juveda had slowed back down. Nala knew what she was up to.

_She's faking it. She's testing me. She's going to keep pretending to break out into a run. But how do I know when she's not faking anymore, and when she's actually started the chase?_

Nala's concern was a legitimate one. Juveda knew that Nala, being in front of her and, from what she could tell, having better physical agility than her, probably had a better chance of catching this antelope than what she did. But if she continued to pretend to break out into a run, Nala might begin running after the antelope too early and thus she wouldn't get the ten points. Likewise, if she began her chase but Nala thought she was faking it, Nala would be behind Juveda by the time she realized that Juveda had begun the chase.

_There's only one way out of this game, _Nala told herself. She broke off into a run. Juveda followed.

Contrary to what either of them had expected, Juveda seemed to be the faster runner than Nala. They were closing in on the hind heels of the antelope, which had also broken out into a run. Nala was so focused on Juveda and the antelope that she was able to drown all the cheers from the hills out of her mind. She saw Juveda pull up alongside her.

_Not today, you don't._

Nala put on an extra sprint and pulled in front. She could now worry about getting the antelope down. She jumped up on its back and bared her teeth above its neck. Then, suddenly, she was shoved off the antelope's back by Juveda, who was then able to reach its neck and kill it.

Nala sent up a dust cloud as she came to a halt rolling over on the dirt floor below. She looked up just in time to see the antelope collapse to the ground with Juveda on top.

Nala was mad, true, but she knew she couldn't let it get to her. Being shoved off an antelope or a zebra was not dangerous and, given that she had about twenty-three and a half hours of this left to go, she would most likely suffer defeat again. Still, she had no plans of inviting Juveda over for tea tomorrow.

* * *

Simba moaned. "Don't worry Nal'," he said to himself, "you'll get one."

Bilauri looked at him. She could read concern on his face.

"Must be tough, having your mate in this game," she said. "You know," she added, "you and her aren't the first."

"Really?" asked Simba. "You mean mates have competed in this game together before us?"

Bilauri nodded. "Baina and Asili, Siku Choka 18."

"Oh, how did they do?"

"They did well until the final hour when they both ended up killing each other in order to try and win."

Bilauri looked at Simba to see his reaction. Horror could be read in every line, in every expression, on his face.

Bilauri laughed. "Just kidding," she explained, "they finished fourth and fifth. Did pretty well, honestly."

Although Bilauri was continuing on nonchalantly, Simba still wasn't quite over Bilauri's first response.

"Th—that wasn't funny, Bilauri."

Bilauri chuckled. "That's because you didn't know it wasn't true."

Before Simba could argue back, Bilauri came to a sudden halt. Bewildered, Simba stopped too.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

Bilauri turned around, but she didn't dare take a step backwards. She knew she'd be disqualified if she did that.

"Shairi," she muttered, looking back at the sleeping lioness they had just passed.

Simba looked at her too. "Yeah, what about her?" he asked. "She's asleep."

"No she's not."

"She looks pretty asleep to me," Simba replied. "See, that's her pride there on the hills. I recognize them. I had to tell them that she was dead two years ago."

"Shairi never falls asleep during the first hour. Not from history, anyways. She's waiting in ambush for the antelope."

Simba looked all the way back over at the frontstretch. Nala had decided to catnap in front of the Pridelands while Juveda had decided to join Eboni and Linda in trotting another lap around the circuit. Other than that, Peponi, Winda, Tonka, Tumaini and Lenny were all still waiting in ambush on the frontstretch.

"Aren't there several other lions lined up in ambush before Shairi?" reasoned Simba.

"They're not going to go after the antelope," Bilauri replied. "They don't want that antelope to be killed – they want that antelope to go about his business until the officials let the zebra out."

"So they're lined up first in ambush for the zebra?"

"Exactly! And the zebra's _so_ much easier to catch. But Shairi doesn't care about that…she's not lined up first in ambush, so, why not wait for the antelope to walk all his way around the circuit then, once the officials are about to let a zebra out, Shairi kills the antelope and the officials have to let an antelope out instead. The strategies of everyone on the frontstretch would be ruined."

"Aha," Simba replied blankly. "Look, no offense, but…I'm not buying this. So much would have to go right in order for what you said to work so I'm just going to keep walking and find my own pride on the frontstretch, okay?"

Bilauri shrugged. "More points for me," she replied. "I've got to go too," she added, "we've already walked on by Shairi. I need to run on around the circuit and line up in ambush _before_ her."

Bilauri began to run off while Simba shook his head.

_She's overanalyzing this, _he told himself.

* * *

For a long period of time, nothing happened. Nothing changed, at the least. Eboni, Linda and Juveda continued to run laps while Bilauri ran a whole lap around the circuit until she was lined up in ambush in front of Shairi.

Nala felt a sudden thud to her left. She lifted her eyelids to see her mate lying next to her.

"So this is why you entered the Siku Choka?" Nala asked. "So you could sleep with me?"

"Everyone sleeps better with a pillow," Simba replied, "isn't that what my mane's for?"

"Hmm," replied Nala, "you have a point."

"Besides," added Simba, pausing for a yawn, "everyone's waiting for the zebra. What else is there to do?"

Nala yawned too. "Good grief, it feels that I've been asleep forever. How much longer until the zebra comes out?"

"Not too long," Simba answered. "Although Bilauri thinks that Shairi is waiting in ambush on the back side of the track."

"Why would she think that?"

"Because Shairi already has ten points so she's got nothing to lose if she gets another antelope and nobody gets a zebra."

Nala's eyes grew wide. She shot up off of the ground. Simba lifted his head up.

"What?" he asked.

"Oh no, she's right!" Nala exclaimed, looking across at the backstretch. Simba got up too.

"She's not going after it yet," Simba replied, "trust me, Shairi's still asleep."

"No she's not," retorted Nala, "Shairi never falls asleep during the first hour of the event." Nala caught sight of a lioness standing not too far from Shairi. "Who's she?" she asked.

"That's Bilauri," Simba replied, "she's the one who told me what Shairi was doing."

Nala looked back over at the track entrance: the place where the prey was released from the infield.

"They're getting a zebra ready," Nala noted, "we can only hope that this antelope stays alive as long as possible…"

* * *

"That's it," whispered Bilauri, "just a bit further…"

The antelope walked on by Bilauri.

"…and now chase!" exclaimed Bilauri, sprinting off into a run. As she had anticipated, Shairi shot up off of the ground and began running after the antelope too. Bilauri slowed down a bit and let Shairi pull in front of her. It was all going to plan…

Shairi got on the antelope's back. Bilauri jumped up on it too and knocked Shairi off. Then, she let herself drop off of the antelope.

Bilauri rolled down onto the floor laughing.

_Ha! What a play! I never wanted to get that antelope, I just needed to make sure Shairi didn't get it! Now I can go and chase the zebra!_

Both of the lionesses rolled to a halt on the ground. Shairi stood up and shook the dirt out of her fur. She looked over at Bilauri, who was still chortling as she lied down on the ground next to her.

Bilauri made her way up onto her feet too. "Ah, you didn't expect that one, did you Shairi? I figured out your strategy and now they're letting the zebra out! Woohoo!"

Bilauri was still laughing as she ran off towards the frontstretch.

"Okay," Shairi murmured to herself, "but you don't have to brag about it."

* * *

"Why didn't Bilauri just kill the antelope?" Timon asked Sarafina.

"Because if she had, it would've been pointless," Sarafina replied. "They wouldn't have been able to release the zebra still because they would have to reset the clock since the last kill. The only way they can let the first zebra out is if a certain amount of time had passed without any prey being killed. Bilauri stopped the antelope from being killed, and now they can release the zebra. Does that make sense?"

Timon and Pumbaa blinked. Crickets chirped.

Sarafina sighed. "How about this, whatever happened, the point is that now an antelope and a zebra are out on the circuit," she said, "which is great news – because look at who's lined up first and second in ambush…"

* * *

**(A/N: No prizes for guessing who's lined up first and second in ambush! Reviews appreciated though.)**


	5. Chapter 5

"This is zebraific," Simba commented to Nala.

Nala laughed as a response. Simba's use of a term that she'd invented two years ago _was_ quite relevant now.

"So," Simba asked, "I guess you're my competitor here?"

Nala raised an eyebrow.

"You _really_ think you can beat me?" she asked.

"Shoving allowed?"

"Of course."

"Then yes."

Nala crouched down low to the ground. "If you say so," she whispered back, "quiet, here he comes."

Simba crouched down too. The zebra was not too far from them and, on a regular day, would probably be running from them right now. However, all the distractions from the infield track workers and the outside spectators meant the zebra really didn't know who to look at…until he saw them…

_NOW!_

Simba and Nala took off from their ambushing spots right about the same time. They were running at about the same pace and were about a body-length back of the zebra's hind heels.

The two mates exchanged competitive glances. Then, Nala let the outsides of her mouth twitch.

"Meep, meep," she said. She took a bound into the air, and then showed Simba her true speed, pulling about a body length in front of him instantly. Simba snarled and tried his best to find any hidden speed within him too.

Nala was the first up onto the zebra's back but Simba was not too far behind her. Now that Nala had slowed the zebra down, he could jump up on top of it too and try and push her off. When he pounced, he made sure he was as far up as he could go. Now certain that he was safe and secure on the zebra's back, he threw his shoulder out and thrust it into Nala's side, knocking her off of the zebra.

Simba laughed but, as he turned his attention back to the zebra's neck, he realized that his laugh wasn't the last one. The zebra had already been bitten and he was now staggering his way into a slump on the ground.

As the zebra came down, so did Simba, until eventually they were lying in a heap on the floor.

"I saw Nala bite him," Simba could hear one of the track workers saying, "but not Simba."

"Ten points to Nala then," replied the other voice, of which Simba recognized as being Kanafa's. Nala made her way over towards and eventually stood over her mate.

"You were saying?" she asked.

Simba sighed. He looked up. "Well done, Nala," he said, although Nala's smug look on her face was making him question his decision on calling her as his mate.

Nala licked her mate on the forehead. "You played well too," she replied, stepping hard on his head as she walked off.

_I can't wait to rub my victory in when I beat her later,_ Simba told himself.

* * *

After Bilauri's "victory" over Shairi, she had made her way back up on her feet and had stalked the antelope down. She was now chasing it on down the frontstretch and, with Simba and Nala gone, Peponi and Winda were the first two lined up in ambush. They both joined in the chase.

Bilauri realized that she was beginning to tire out, and so she gave up, moving herself towards the outside of the circuit so she could be the first in ambush when the next zebra came along.

So, once again, Peponi and Winda were chasing after the antelope. Peponi did _NOT_ want to suffer another defeat to a Lionrock sister, and so this time, when she got up on the antelope's back, she tried her best to clamp her jaws down on the back of its neck as soon as she could. However, she'd done it too soon.

The antelope bucked and his back legs caught those of Peponi. Peponi fell off the antelope's back and, having no time to react, Winda ran right into her and tripped over, allowing the antelope to run away. Elvis was the only lion lined up in ambush that wasn't caught off-guard by this sudden change of events. He ran out and ambushed the antelope successfully, giving him his first set of ten during the game.


	6. Chapter 6

**(A/N: I'm back! (Told you) - short chapter here, mainly because I wanted to get up and posting again so that you had something to read. Enjoy!)**

* * *

The zebra led the antelope as they both strolled casually down the frontstretch. They could both sense a slight threat from behind, but their main focus was on the crowd of eleven lions which, over time, had built up. Everyone but Shairi, Eboni, Linda and Juveda were waiting in ambush for these two pieces of prey.

Shairi, Eboni and Linda were all stalking the antelope and zebra from behind, while Juveda had gone on to run another lap around the circuit. Bilauri was the first competitor in ambush, waiting for her first set of ten points in the game.

Linda broke out into a run first.

Being a rookie, Linda was prone to making bad judgments during this game. However, as soon as she started running, Shairi and Eboni's strategies were fixed too…they had to run.

The antelope had been walking behind the zebra. Now, knowing that there was a threat from behind, he had taken off into a run and was passing the zebra on the outside of the track. Since Bilauri was waiting in ambush on the outside of the circuit, the antelope's decision to pass the zebra on the outside meant that she was blocked from attacking the zebra.

Bilauri would have to go for the antelope.

Linda had pulled away from Shairi who had pulled away from Eboni. Linda and Shairi continued in their chase for the zebra. Eboni, however, knew that she was too slow to compete against them, so she went for the antelope, hoping that she still had more energy than Bilauri.

She didn't.

Bilauri scored her first set of ten with a well-timed attack on the antelope while Linda got up on the zebra's back first and was able to reach its neck before Shairi could push her off. Thus, Linda got ten more points too.

* * *

"Look at that," commented Timon, "no sooner after they run a hundred yards and they all line up in ambush again. How long is _this_ going to go on for?"

"Not much longer," Sarafina reassured him. "Every time they run one hundred yards, they get a hundred yards farther away from where the prey is released onto the track. Eventually, they will work their way so far on down the front stretch that they'll be too far away from the entry point for their strategy to work."

"Why is Tonka doing so bad?" asked Pumbaa. "He hasn't even scored a point yet."

"Yeah," Timon agreed. "What gives? He was meant to do good and Juveda was meant to do bad…yet she already has loads more points than him!"

"That's because they haven't released a buffalo yet," replied Sarafina. "When the field stops ambushing the antelopes and the zebras, a buffalo will be released onto the circuit. A Siku Choka competitor's true talent is measured by how effectively they can bring down a buffalo. Because of their strength, usually males are better at it than females. So, Tonka should begin catching up with the others once a buffalo is on the circuit."

However, since a buffalo wasn't on the circuit yet, it was anybody's game as the next antelope and zebra made their way on down the track.

"This may be the final time this will work," Sarafina commented, watching Juveda. The rookie lioness was about to run back out onto the frontstretch. Once the zebra and antelope got caught, two new pieces of prey would be released onto the circuit…right in front of Juveda.

For now though, Bilauri, Peponi and Eboni were the first three competitors lined up in ambush. They were all waiting for the antelope.

Eboni took a glance to her left to see who she would be competing against for this antelope. Already, she had learnt that Bilauri and Peponi both possessed a good amount of speed. Perhaps she should go for the zebra instead?

The antelope wandered by them and Peponi took off. Bilauri, like Eboni, had determined that it was not worth the energy to lose a race to Peponi.

So, Peponi was in a chase of her own for the antelope.

Or so she thought.

To the crowd's surprise, one of the male lions jumped out of line and lunged for the antelope as it went on by. Peponi had to check up to avoid from running into him, and the male lion was gifted ten points as he was able to bring down the antelope unchallenged.

From her ambushing position, Nala watched the scene unfold with her jaw hanging. She could have never foreseen her husband being able to pull that off…but, there it was. It had happened. Ten points went to Simba.

Now, it was time for the zebra.

Simba and Shairi, both satisfied with what they had already been able to accomplish, had wandered off. Juveda, meanwhile, was waiting at the point the prey was released at for the next zebra. The other twelve competitors were all lined up, waiting to chase this zebra.

It went by Bilauri first. She crept up behind it. Then it went by Eboni. She joined Bilauri in stalking it. Then, it went by Winda…

She gave chase.

Guvu, Shemshi, Tonka, Nala, Lenny, Peponi, Tumaini, Elvis and Linda all joined in as they tried to attack the zebra.

Elvis was the first one who caught it, but he had only clipped its leg and wounded it. The zebra continued.

The pack of 12 continued in pursuit of the zebra. Even those at the back knew that they weren't losing out. This ambushing game had been going on for too long and, for those such as Tonka, it hadn't really been working that well. Whoever brought this zebra to the ground would be the last one to score 10 points in quite a while…everyone had the intention of waiting for the buffalo once this zebra was gone.

Peponi, Winda and Nala were the fastest runners. They were all on the hind heels of the zebra. Each one of them was waiting for the other to make their move first. They didn't want to be the one that got pushed off.

However, that's when Nala realized that the zebra had been wounded. This completely changed her strategy. Now, whoever got onto the zebra's back _first_ would most likely be the one who got the ten points, because the wounded zebra would not be able to put up much of a fight.

Nala pounced.

Right at the point she was in midair, she felt something catch her on her side. The results weren't good. She fell short of landing on the zebra's back and, consequently, was hit by the herbivore's hoof as he took another stride. Nala fell to the ground as she gritted her teeth together, tasting blood on her tongue that had already rolled down her muzzle. She sent a wave of dust up into the stands as she collapsed into a heap on the ground.

Farther on up the track, Simba came to a halt. Shairi, who had been making her way around the track from behind him, did too.

"Get up Nala," muttered Simba, "come on."

Shairi looked into his eyes. She could tell he was conflicted.

"Don't go back," she told him. "It's not worth it. She's going to be okay."

Shairi's words were hit and miss as they ran through Simba's skull. He knew she was probably right. No, it was more than that…he knew she _was_ right…but he couldn't bring himself to accept that until he knew it was true.

Shairi snapped her glance away from Simba and looked back in front of her. She wanted to get to her pride so she could go to sleep for real, now. She had provided Simba with her advice, so her conscience should have been relieved.

The problem was…it wasn't.

Shairi began to move off again. She walked on by Simba. At the same time, eleven lions charging a zebra overtook them both.

Shairi gave one glance back at Simba, just to see if he would get over it and move on.

A couple of track officials ran out onto the circuit and up towards Nala.

Simba began to take a step back.

"NO! SIMBA! DON'T!" exclaimed Shairi, whirling around.

Simba froze. Shairi had finally caught his attention. He turned back and, this time, finally met Shairi's gaze.

Shairi sighed. "Simba…I—I know we don't really know each other…b—but I've heard a lot about you. I've heard the stories…how you took over from Scar, what you and Nala had to go through to accomplish all that. Point is, Simba, I know she means a lot to you…but this is the last thing she'd want. She's going to be okay, Simba, trust me. This is my fifth Siku Choka…I've seen worse. Heck, I've _been _through worse. Sure, if you go back there, you may be there to comfort her for the next five minutes…but then she's gonna miss you for the next twenty-three hours."

Simba was still conflicted. "Well," he asked, "what do you think I should do?"

"Go around the right way," replied Shairi.

"She could be gone by then," Simba retorted. "I'm not that fast, Shairi."

"I'll run with you. I'll keep up my pace…force you to run fast."

"Shairi…you shouldn't have to go through all that trouble…"

"Nonsense," replied the lioness, "more laps I run, more points I get."

Simba sighed. Shairi had won this argument…

"Come on," called Shairi encouragingly. Simba was finally won over. He followed Shairi off.

* * *

Tumaini had been the lucky one who had taken the zebra down for another set of ten points. Then, as expected, Juveda took down the new zebra once he had been released. The track officials had left Nala out on the circuit which, as Shairi told Simba, could only mean that Nala had told them that she was okay. Still, they both kept on running.

Several minutes later, they finally arrived at the lioness's side.

"Nala, are you okay?" asked Simba.

Nala coughed before responding hoarsely, "I'm fine Simba…just…need a rest."

Simba and Shairi both heaved a sigh of relief.

Nala opened her eyes. "Shairi?" she asked, wondering why the lioness was with Simba.

"I…eh…it's a long story," Shairi replied. "Well, I'll leave you two alone. I best be going."

Shairi began to move off. However, before she could get too far, Simba knew there was something that still needed to be done.

"Hey, Shairi," he called.

The lioness stopped and looked back over her shoulder.

"Thanks," said Simba, "I owe you one."

Shairi simply smiled as a response, then she continued on her way.

Simba lied down next to his mate. "Go ahead," he said, "use my mane as a pillow. Rest will do us both good, everyone's waiting for the buffalo."

Nala's silence told Simba that she agreed. Simba rested his head down.

"Simba."

"Yes Nal'?"

"How would you rate _her?"_

…

"Eh…just a seven."

* * *

**(A/N: Well, it seems all those nice things Winda said about her sister in "The Siku Choka" were true. I have observed that I have included Shairi quite a lot in the early chapters here. Mainly because I never had much chance to develop her in "The Siku Choka." For example, this is the amount of times each competitor's name appeared in the original "Siku Choka:"**

**Sarafina: 568  
Nakshi: 356  
Lenny: 320  
Wamariri: 312  
Tumaini: 276  
Winda: 263  
Anzi: 249  
Bahati: 233  
Juni: 228  
Rakusa: 220  
Guvu: 215  
Ema: 107  
Uku: 104  
Shairi: 54  
Zoea: 45  
Maneno: 41  
**

**Yet Shairi's name has already been included more than 54 times in this story. If you're getting sick of her, let me know. Same with Bilauri. I'm trying to introduce characters as I go along. I know I've still got many, including Elvis and Juveda, left to go. Reviews appreciated!)**


	7. Chapter 7

**(A/N: If you've read enough of my author notes you're probably able to tell that I'm a motor racing fan. Well I recently got an iRacing account and have been playing that obsessively until my steering wheel broke yesterday. So, lucky you, I guess it's back to story-writing in my free time. Just a short chapter here but hopefully chapter 8 will not be too far away.)**

* * *

"Wakey! Wakey!"

Simba and Nala were both caught off-guard by the sudden alarm.

"Huh?" Simba murmured, looking up. "Lenny?"

"Who else?" exclaimed the lion. "Everyone's getting up because a buffalo's on the circuit. All the other competitors were asleep in front of their own prides so that they could wake them. You both are all the way over here though because of Nala's accident so I thought it would only be fair if I gave each of you a wakeup call."

Simba yawned. "Well thanks for the thought, Lenny," he replied. "But, honestly, I think Nala's still feeling a little rough, so we might nap here a little bit longer."

"No, I'm fine," Nala replied, lifting herself back up onto her feet for the first time since her accident. She began to stumble over and Simba shot up onto his feet to make sure she didn't fall. However, Nala regained her balance and found her footing, rising all the way up as if nothing had ever happened.

Lenny was slightly amused. "You know, I heard that you, Simba, almost blew your chances of winning the Siku Choka by walking backwards on the circuit. Rumor has it that Nala and you were mad with each other so you wanted to catch up with her to save your marriage."

Simba didn't really know why Lenny was blurting this out in front of them, but, then again, it was Lenny. It also wasn't true.

"Who the heck made that up?" Simba asked.

"I think it was Elvis," Lenny replied.

Simba rolled his eyes. "No surprise," he said. "He's probably just trying to stir controversy so he can take my girl." Simba moved in on Nala and made to nuzzle her. "But he could never do that, could he honey?"

Nala took a step away from Simba, smiling.

"Well," she responded, thinking about it, "we'll see…"

"What's the matter?" Simba asked, a bit surprised that Nala had taken a step away when he had moved in to nuzzle her. "Don't want a hug?"

"When a hundred thousand animals are watching us from the hills? I think I'd rather draw attention to myself by killing a zebra, thanks," replied Nala. "You can get quite carried away with your displays of affection," she added.

"True," replied Simba, "but I'd rather resort to that than have Elvis think he can come between us. Then again, I could just go and 'talk' with him."

"I wouldn't advise it right now," Lenny replied, "I don't think he's the happiest competitor in the world. He's got guilt on his shoulders."

Simba and Nala suddenly came back down to reality. Guilt in the Siku Choka? Someone must have been hurt…

"Linda," Lenny said, reading Simba and Nala's expressions.

Simba and Nala both tore their eyes away from Lenny and began scanning the track.

One, two, four, eight, twelve, thirteen, fourteen.

Fourteen competitors…one less than what they started with.

"Is she…"

"No, no, not at all," Lenny replied. "She's still alive and well. Well, not well. She broke a leg or something. She and Elvis were going for a buffalo. I didn't really see what happened. I think she has three cubs though so as soon as she got hurt she pulled herself out."

"Saves causing her injuries to get worse," Nala stated, understanding Linda's decision. "Ah well," she added, "at least she's still alive." She looked over at Simba. "I guess that's one less that you have to try and beat."

"Ha, ha, ha," Simba stated sarcastically. "For your information Nala, I'm already beating you. 12 to 11."

"22!" exclaimed Lenny.

Simba and Nala both turned their attention back at him.

"Guess we should get a move on then," Simba concluded.

* * *

Tumaini brought another zebra down giving her a grand total of…

"…forty-two points," said the hornbill, "second place is Bilauri with 33 and then there is a three-way tie for second on 22."

"And how about Simba and Nala?" asked Pumbaa.

The hornbill sighed. "Let me go check," he replied, taking off and flying back into the infield.

Sarafina looked over at the duo. "Did you two do this all the time the other year too?"

"Yes," muttered Zazu, standing next to the lioness. "Just wait until they ask for the full rundown."

Sarafina shook her head and smiled. She moved over towards her granddaughter and gave her a lick on the head.

"Oh Kiara," she said, "Aiheu help you when Timon and Pumbaa turn into your babysitters. Hopefully you won't turn out as crazy as them."

"I heard that!"

"Oh, like you didn't know."

"Time to stop this pointless bickering," Zazu interjected, "looks like Nala found the antelope."

* * *

Simba, Nala and Lenny had all taken off in a trot once they had started off, but Nala had broken out of rhythm and out into a run after the antelope. They were on the backstretch where none of the other competitors were, so it was an easy picking for Nala, giving her a grand total of 21 points.

Meanwhile, Tumaini had taken off in pursuit of a buffalo. However, Tonka was lying in ambush in wait. When the time was right, he sprung out across the circuit and got out onto the buffalo's back. Tumaini jumped up and joined him.

Pushing a competitor off of a buffalo was not illegal, but it was bad sportsmanship. Both Tumaini and Tonka, however, were good sportsmen. Yet they were still both there to win. Tumaini nudged Tonka. Not enough to knock him off, but just enough to cause him to lose his balance. Or so she thought. This was Tonka's first time in this game and so he hadn't expected such a move. When he lost his balance, he was unable to regain it, and thus he came crashing down onto the ground, barely grazing the buffalo's hoof.

Tumaini was able to kill the buffalo farther on around the track and, when she did, she checked back over her shoulder to make sure Tonka had gotten up. He had. Tumaini smiled but stopped short of breathing a sigh of relief. True, she hadn't meant for that to happen, but, as perverse as it may sound, _it wasn't her fault._ Small shoves on the back of a buffalo were always tolerated. Ultimately, it was Tonka's fault that he wasn't able to regain balance. Any more experienced competitor probably could have.

Tumaini was glad he was okay, but she couldn't dwell on any thoughts of sympathy for him. The next piece of prey would soon be coming.

* * *

Nala, Lenny and Simba had been joined in their trot around the track by the Lionrock sisters who had also arose from their slumbers.

"Uh oh," said Simba, looking down at the front stretch, "don't look now, Nal', but I think the points are about to get All Shook Up."

"Why?" Nala asked back, "because of that competitor that's Always on My Mind?"

Simba shook his head. "Keep this up and I'll start hitting on one of the females, just you wait."

"I'd hope not," Nala replied. "We can't really go on together with suspicious minds."

Elvis truly was an attention-grabber for everyone in attendance now, though. All three pieces of prey were trundling along down the frontstretch. He would soon be charging after all of them. Bilauri ran across the track and tried to bring the zebra down. However, she had mistimed her attack and the zebra took off, only to be taken down yards later by Peponi. Frustratingly, for Peponi, this zebra had actually only been her first set of ten during the event.

Still, there was an antelope and a buffalo waiting for Elvis. He was closing in on them. The buffalo let out a warning shriek and they both broke out into a run.

The thrill of the chase was reduced when Bilauri decided to stay put. There would be easier and less dangerous ways to score ten points later, she thought. So the antelope, buffalo and Elvis ran on by her. Guvu took no such chances though. He ran out and, as he always did, took the buffalo down as if it was a baby impala. Surprisingly, that was also his first set of ten in the game. Perhaps he _was_ getting too old for this?

Meanwhile, the antelope was still left. Elvis was right on its tail but he could see that Peponi was waiting in ambush. Elvis ran up alongside the antelope in order to block Peponi from making an attack. Peponi sighed and didn't even flinch from her ambushing spot. Blocking was frustrating, but it was part of the sport. She watched Elvis and the antelope run on by and then she saw Elvis bring the antelope down to the ground for another set of ten points.

Now, it was time to get all shook up.

A distant rumble could be heard. It could be felt. Peponi had known that it was coming, as had every other competitor on the frontstretch.

Three new pieces of prey had just been released and, not too far behind them, was a pack of five lions.

Simba, Nala, Lenny, Shairi and Winda were all making their way out onto the frontstretch. They were all reenergized and waiting to kill. Bilauri, Guvu, Peponi, Elvis and Tumaini were all waiting in ambush. The crowd got to its feet. This was going to be good…


	8. Chapter 8

**(A/N: Eh...bit of a filler chapter here. But, we get a brief introduction to one of the other competitors and the chapter ends with a scene that I've been wanting to write for a while. Enjoy!)**

* * *

Nala was still suffering a bit from her injuries so she was lagging behind the Lionrock sisters. Lenny was running alongside her while Simba brought up the rear.

First up was the buffalo.

Shairi, Winda, Lenny and Nala ran on by it. Simba sized it up. He had brought down buffalos before, but usually at least one or two other pride lionesses were there to help him. Also, he didn't have the pressure of a hundred thousand animals sitting around judging his every move. Still, hopefully it wouldn't be too difficult.

Simba finally made it right up onto the buffalo's hind heels.

He gulped.

_Ah well, here goes…_

Simba pounced and reached his claws down. He felt nothing. Evidently, he had missed. Fortunately he was all too well aware of the threat that the buffalo's hooves made and so he immediately slowed himself up, hoping not to get hit by them. He didn't, but he still had a rough landing on the ground.

Meanwhile, Winda had pulled ahead of Shairi and was right up with the antelope. Bilauri ran out from ambush and forced Winda to make her move earlier than she would have liked. However, Winda had gotten good at this game over the years and she was somehow able to pull herself all the way up over the antelope and deliver the fatal bite on the neck. Ten points went to Winda.

Shairi led Nala and Lenny in the chase for the zebra. Peponi darted out from ambush but already realized that she was too late. Shairi had already gone by her and so Peponi retreated into a defeated trot on the outside of the circuit with the intention of logging another lap.

Shairi jumped up on the zebra's back but was only there for so long before Nala shoved her off. Nala brought the zebra down not too long afterwards.

Shairi shook the dust out of her fur and was able to watch as Nala finished off killing the zebra. When she was done, she turned back to face Shairi with a proud grin on her face.

"It's Simba who owes you one, Shairi, not me," said Nala.

"Apparently so," replied a fairly disgruntled Shairi.

Suddenly, a cheer was heard from along the frontstretch as Guvu brought down the buffalo that Simba had missed.

All in all, Winda, Nala and Guvu had all picked up ten points.

* * *

Eboni was awoken by her pride in time to kill the new buffalo. Her strength surprised a lot of the audience who hadn't seen her perform the year before. Only a select number of lionesses, namely Nakshi, Tumaini and Wamariri, had ever been able to pick of a buffalo with such ease in the past years. She really could be a threat for this…

Back where the Prideland lions were sitting, and Sarafina had just started up a conversation with her son-in-law.

"Simba, mind me asking what you're doing?" she called.

"Waiting in ambush," he replied.

"But you just let the antelope and zebra by!"

"I'm waiting for the buffalo."

"The hardest piece of prey, huh? Eboni's still lined up in ambush before you – she'll probably get this one too."

"I know but maybe not the next. I need to gain experience with bringing these bigger pieces of prey down."

"You should have done that before the event!" Sarafina snapped back. "When this thing starts, you need to take every point you can get – you just let an antelope and a zebra by and you're perfectly capable of catching either of those."

Simba sighed and turned around. "Well what do _you_ think I should do?" he retorted.

"Go get that zebra!" exclaimed Sarafina. "Guvu's next in ambush after you and he's not going to go for it. Ten easy points for the picking."

"And so I should just _avoid_ buffaloes the entire game?"

"Oh no," replied Sarafina, "not at all. I understand why you'd want to practice on a buffalo while no one else is around, but fact is that you're probably going to have to take your first one in the chase, cold turkey."

"Seems a bit dangerous, don't it?"

Sarafina smirked. "Do you think you have what it takes to win the Siku Choka?" she asked.

Simba groaned. Nala was too like her mother.

"Alright," he replied, "I'll go for the zebra."

* * *

Simba was easily able to pick off the zebra while Eboni put up a brave fight and was able to kill the buffalo.

Meanwhile, Lenny had found another sleeping lion that he thought should be given a fair chance. He shook him awake.

The lion opened his eyes.

"Yes?" he asked.

"Hey buddy, it's me, Lenny."

The lion yawned. "Okay?" he replied. He made to stand up. "Did my pride ask you to wake me? It's still daylight."

"Oh, so your pride _is_ here?" Lenny asked. "I just wanted to be sure. You're missing out on all the action."

The lion chuckled. He realized what was going on now. This bloke was just trying to be a Good Samaritan.

"Yes, buddy, my pride is here," he replied. He lied back down on the ground. "We're neighbors to the Lionrock pride so we always group together and watch from the backstretch. I just like to sleep until the sun goes down."

"But you're missing out on all the action."

The lion signaled towards where three pieces of prey were nonchalantly walking on down the frontstretch. "You call this _action?"_ he asked. "Don't worry buddy, I've been in my fair share of these. I know what I'm doing. Name's Shemshi, by the way."

"Okay, well, alright Shemshi. Guess I'll speak to you again later."

Shemshi lied his head back down. "See you bud."

* * *

The crowd got up on its feet as excitement began to break out.

Bilauri and Elvis chased after an antelope. The chase was won by the antelope as Elvis pushed Bilauri off but then lost his own footing and watched the antelope run away. Meanwhile, Simba had determined that Eboni would be a worthy competitor to challenge as they both chased after a zebra. Fact was, however, Eboni was out of Simba's league and this time Simba came rolling into a dusty heap on the ground while Eboni got the points. Tumaini also picked up ten as she chased and killed a buffalo.

Meanwhile, Simba had picked himself up from his dusty defeat and was now making his way over to see his mate. She was waiting in ambush along with the lioness that Simba had met earlier, Bilauri.

"Great," Simba said, walking over, "I guess I don't need to introduce you two to each other, then."

Bilauri and Nala both gave him perplexed looks.

"We're just waiting here in ambush, Simba, we haven't talked," Nala replied.

"Well you should," replied Simba. "Bilauri knows more about this game than anyone else I've ever met, Nal'. You could learn a few things from her."

Nala's eyes narrowed. She took that as a challenge.

"Oh really?" she asked, turning to face Bilauri.

"Very well," continued Nala, "would Miss Bilauri mind telling us who won the first ever Siku Choka then?"

"Amka," replied Bilauri. "She was one of only two females in a field of ten and so nobody expected her to win. She did though, but was then killed in the third running of the Siku Choka."

Nala was taken aback. This lioness really _did_ know a lot about this game…

"See," replied Simba, "she's even smarter than you."

_No she isn't._

"How many two-time Siku Choka champions are there?"

"Five. Kahawia, Chumvi, Raia, Juni and Guvu," Bilauri replied. _Does she really think she's smarter than me?_ Bilauri asked herself. "Who invented the Siku Choka anthem?" Bilauri asked, testing Nala.

"Bwana Elekezo. He did it as a promotional effort for Siku Choka eight. In how many Siku Chokas has it rained?"

"Three. Siku Chokas 4, 14 and 22. How many Siku Chokas were held on the Nyaziland Circuit?"

"Eight. The last one was Siku Choka 15 because Bwana Zungumza took over and decided he wanted the Siku Choka to tour from pride to pride each year to build up popularity. How many times has the Siku Choka been cut short?"

"Once. Siku Choka 9. 24 spectators were killed with two hours to go when the buffalo stampeded out from the infield. Who won that Siku Choka?"

"Chumvi. He was disappointed that it hadn't gone the full distance but then won the next year anyways. Who…"

"Girls, girls, girls," Simba interjected, "calm down," he commanded, seeing as the two lionesses were now right in each other's face.

However, the pair hadn't even started.

"Who finished third in Siku Choka 20 and why?"

"Jino. She was the Nyimbas and she had studied every piece of prey in her home pride. What's the biggest circuit the Siku Choka has ever been held on?"

"Two miles – Majani Pride, Siku Choka 24. Who finished 7th in Siku Choka 13?"

Bilauri was taken aback. "Who finished 7th in Siku Choka 13?" she restated. "Where'd you pull that one out from?"

Nala smirked. "Oh?" she asked. "So you don't _know?"_

"Of course I do," Bilauri replied, "it was Kicheko. It was just…a random question…"

Nala groaned. _But she knew it…_

"Okay," Nala continued, "who finished fifth in Siku Choka 2?"

"Ushindi. Who finished 3rd in Siku Choka 26?"

"Elvis. Who finished 5th in Siku Choka 7?"

"Cheka. Who finished 8th in Siku Choka 15?"

"Magharibi. Who won Siku Choka 25?"

Once again, Bilauri was a little surprised by the question. This one seemed too simple. "Eh…Sarafina," Bilauri replied.

"That's right!" Nala exclaimed. "My mother."

"Oh _really?"_ asked Bilauri, coming back. "Who won Siku Chokas 14, 15, 17 and 18?"

"Eh…Uku."

"That's right!" exclaimed Bilauri. "My aunt's cousin's mother's sister's son's nephew twice-removed," Bilauri finished, sticking her tongue out at her.

Nala sighed. "Alright Bilauri, you win," she admitted.

"Uh…Nala…that's not trivia," Simba observed.

"Doesn't matter," replied Nala, "anyone related that closely to Uku will always win any argument."

Nala wandered off in defeat while Bilauri trotted off smugly.

"But…she's barely related to her at all_…_" said Simba to no one in particular as Nala was now far out of earshot. Simba was left very confused…


	9. Chapter 9

**(A/N: You know, it's been a while since I've gotten any reviews to this or any story. I hate asking for them but I do like seeing/reading them, so I would just like to mention that I really do appreciate if you all review this or any chapter. That being said...I am aware that this chapter will seem like a giant middle finger to everyone that has reviewed in the past. Usually my favorite question to ask is, "Who is Your Favorite Competitor Besides Sarafina/Simba/Nala?" There seems to be one answer that appears more often than the others, so I just want to reassure you all that while bad things happen to that character during this chapter, you haven't seen the last of them.)**

* * *

_Seventy-three!_

Tumaini was doing well at keeping tabs on her score. It was a number to be proud of too, she was leading by 39 points over Eboni, who was in second.

However, she wasn't doing well at keeping tabs on the track. She stood up from her kill.

"Tumaini, look out!" shouted Guvu from further on down the straight.

Tumaini whirled around to see what the threat was, but it was too late. A buffalo ran right into her. His front legs tossed her up in the air then his rear legs shoved her back down into the dust. Tonka, the lion that had been chasing the buffalo, jumped over the commotion and landed on top of the fallen buffalo. He attacked the back of the buffalo's neck, killing the creature. He then checked back over his shoulder, praying that the buffalo's death had been the only one.

It was hard to tell from Tonka's standpoint if Tumaini was okay. She had been knocked down onto the ground but, as for how she was, Tonka had no idea. Instead, a leopard working in the infield ran up to her.

"Are you okay Ma'am?" asked the leopard, standing over her.

"I'm alive," croaked the lioness. "How do I look?" she asked.

"You've got a nasty gash under your nose and a flesh wound on your rear leg," replied the leopard.

Tumaini rolled over.

"Other side?" she asked.

The leopard shook his head. "Doesn't look too bad. Just badly scraped is all."

"Then I'm good," replied the lioness. "Leave me here please, sir."

"Yes, Ma'am. But…um…you might want to move yourself towards the outside of the track if possible," added the leopard as an afterthought, "it looks like there's about to be a chase."

* * *

Shairi, Peponi, Lenny and Winda were all conflicted.

They had all just completed a lap, and now they were all lined up in ambush, waiting for the new zebra and buffalo. However, Tumaini did not seem to be in a hurry to get up from her incident. Currently, if they were to begin a charge for the zebra and the buffalo, Tumaini would run a serious risk of being clipped by one of them. These herbivores didn't really do a lot of thinking when it came down to running for their lives. Instead, they just ran, and hoped that they could outpace the lions…wherever that may lead them.

"This is silly!" Winda exclaimed. "Who's to say this isn't one of Tumaini's stupid tactics? She's just lying there in the middle of the track to stop us from chasing."

Shairi chuckled. "You know, you're probably right."

"So we should go?" asked Peponi.

"Heck no," Shairi replied. "Or at least, I'm not going to risk it. If she seriously is hurt then risking another injury onto her…I mean, it's not even bad sportsmanship, it's just plain _inhumane._ We have to wait until she picks herself up."

"Well why don't we just follow the prey?" asked Lenny. "We wait until they've walked on by Tumaini's body and then we chase."

"You could," Shairi agreed, "but then you'd be away from the prey-release point."

Suddenly, a cheer was heard echoing off the hills towards the other side of the track. Bilauri, Nala, Eboni and Elvis were all chasing after the antelope, exiting the final turn. They were now running on the final stretch.

Shairi did a double-take.

"They don't know about Tumaini," she realized. "Hey, wait, someone tell those guys to stop!" she shouted across the track at the infield track workers.

The track workers saw the same hazard that Shairi did, and they began shouting at the antelope-chasers.

_What's going on? _Nala asked herself, looking over at the track workers.

"Stop!"

"Slow down!"

"There's a lion on the track!"

The track workers had distracted Nala enough. She'd already lost this chase, anyways. She slowed down. So did Bilauri, so did Eboni.

Elvis didn't.

Elvis was still in hot pursuit of the antelope and, now that they had came this far, the zebra and the buffalo could sense a threat from behind too. They both took off into a chase. Whether Elvis was so focused that he just simply couldn't see the track workers, or whether he was just ignoring them, it didn't really matter. What mattered now, as far as the audience was concerned, was would any of the prey clip Tumaini again?

The antelope and buffalo ran on by without incident, but the zebra's front hoof slammed into the side of Tumaini's head and sent her rolling again. Elvis leapt over her body, but still had his eyes fixed on the zebra. The herbivore had now fallen, and Elvis could go on in for the kill. It was an easy ten points as Elvis landed on top of zebra and delivered the fatal bite to the neck.

Elvis had made his kill right alongside where Tonka was standing. Tonka stormed over towards the lion and cuffed him in the head.

"What the _hell_ do you think you were doing, man?" Tonka asked, "did you not hear all the workers telling you she was there?"

Meanwhile, the leopard had made his way back out onto the track to visit Tumaini.

"Ma'am, that zebra hoof got your pretty good in the head. Do you…"

"I KNOW IT GOT ME PRETTY GOOD IN THE DAMN HEAD!" bellowed Tumaini, pressing her paw up against the wound. She took her paw off and held it in front of her eyes. It was covered in blood. "Damn!" she exclaimed, clenching her eyes. Tears began to spill out. "Oh gods!" she exclaimed. _The pain._

"Ma'am, are you…"

_"Don't_ talk to me," Tumaini snapped. "No, I'm not okay, but you guys make up such these stupid rules! I—I can't decide now! If I say I'm not okay but I live, then I'll never regret it. If I say I'm okay and I…and I…" Tumaini couldn't bring herself to say it. She held her paw back up to her head. She was bleeding badly. As stubborn as Tumaini was, she knew her limits. She was beginning to have difficulty forming words. She was beginning to forget what had happened to her earlier in this game. She needed a doctor.

"I—I…" she stammered. She moved her blood-covered paw back in front of her eyes. She sighed. "I don't know what to say," she said.

The leopard looked on at her, his heart beating rapidly. The last thing he wanted to do was let this stubborn lioness die on the track. He would never forgive himself if she could have been saved. "Ma'am, if you are unable to give me with a definite answer, I am going to have to presume that you a too unfit to respond."

Tumaini couldn't believe what was happening. She felt herself growing tired and weak. She wanted to tell the leopard to go away, that she was fine, that she didn't need a doctor. Yet, deep in her heart, she knew that wasn't true. Tumaini closed her eyes and began to cry again. She pressed her paw back up against her head and lied back down on the ground. She would never admit that she needed a doctor. Yet, she knew, she wouldn't have to.

The leopard watched Tumaini, just waiting for her to utter the words "I'm okay," to him. They didn't come. Tumaini was as silent as she could be, besides a sniff or two there and a squeak whenever the pain increased.

She wasn't going to say it. She wasn't going to say anything.

"Leo!" called the leopard, looking back over towards the infield at a lion that he had been working with. "Come help me out here, we need to get her off the track and to a doctor!"

The lion came over to help him. They picked up Tumaini and began dragging her away on their backs. Tumaini was conscious throughout the whole thing, but she was losing it. She was too humble to admit that she was in pain, but yet too smart to put up any resistance.

Tumaini's body was carried away from the track, and the field was now down to thirteen.

* * *

Sarafina sighed.

"Well…" said Timon, trying to think of a way to lighten up the situation, "…one less for Simba and Nala to try and beat."

Sarafina had known that Timon was going to say something like that. She was happy that he was trying to cheer them up, but it wasn't working.

"True," she admitted, "but it is a shame. She's such a great sport and, well…I just hope she's going to be okay."

"Look on the other bright side," added Pumbaa, "the track's clear now and Nala is lined up in ambush."

Sarafina allowed the sides of her mouth to twitch. It was true that this _had_ helped Bilauri, Nala and Eboni. Though they had been unable to get the ten points for killing the antelope, they were now lined up in ambush for the new zebra and, thanks to Guvu killing the buffalo that had been able to run on by Tumaini, a new buffalo.

However, Nala had a lot of competition.

Shairi, Winda, Lenny, Peponi, Eboni and Bilauri were all lined up alongside with her. If they used up too much track in chasing the zebra and buffalo, Tonka, Elvis and Guvu were all waiting for them farther on down the straight. Simba, meanwhile, was still trotting his way around the track to try and complete another lap.

The zebra and buffalo began to walk on by. Shairi made the first move.

The rest joined in and Winda and Peponi went up front. Winda knew that she would have too many challengers for the zebra, so she targeted the buffalo instead. Eboni ran up alongside her, also breathing onto the buffalo's heels.

Shairi was right behind Peponi but Peponi knowing that, once again, she was at risk of losing out to a Lionrock sister, put on an extra sprint. She was determined not to lose out this time. Peponi jumped up onto the back of the zebra, found the perfect attack point, and clamped her jaw down on the back of the zebra's neck.

Lenny, Shairi and Bilauri, who had also gone after the zebra, quickly slowed to a stop and made their way back to the outside of the track to lie in ambush again. They wanted to waste as little track as possible.

Meanwhile, Nala, Winda and Eboni were still chasing after the buffalo. Nala was lagging behind a bit and, when Winda and Eboni simultaneously jumped up onto the buffalo's back and began working to bring it down, she knew she was out ten points.

Nala slowed and began to make her way towards the outside of the track also. Coincidentally, the place that she had determined to be the closest ambushing spot was already occupied, so she just stood next to its occupant.

Nala smiled. "Good evening," she greeted.

"Well how you doing there, young Ma'am?" came the reply from the Elvis-like voice.

Nala giggled. "Oh, such a deep voice," she said. "Let's just say I'm playing this game called the Siku Choka. And I'm playing it 'My Way.'"

"Uh-huh," replied the lion, "and how's that working out for you?"

"Thirty-three," Nala replied. "And you?" she asked.

"Well let's not read too much into the points," replied Elvis. "I've got 44 but I'm, uh, I'm not doing too well. Just made a mistake that caused that poor lioness back there to be taken to the infield. I hope that she's blessed and she comes out of it okay."

Nala sighed. "True that," she replied. "Don't take it too hard," she added, "it's the Siku Choka, these things happen."

"Well you see there Ma'am, the difference is that my accident was preventable. I heard the track workers shouting something but I, uh, just didn't think it was at me."

Nala shrugged. "Not a whole lot you can do about it now," she reasoned. "Just learn from it and move on." Anxious to change the subject, Nala recalled a conversation that had taken place earlier. "So, word is that you were making up rumors about Simba and my relationship?" she asked in a friendly tone.

"Well I don't know how true those rumors were," Elvis replied, "but I must confess that I, uh, did mention that I found it surprising that two lions so closely involved with each other would be risking their lives in the same game."

Nala rolled her eyes. "Trust me," she replied, "if it were up to me, there would just be one of us. I never thought Simba would be foolish enough to sign up for this."

"Uh-huh, now you see that you're cooling yourself a fool there now Ma'am."

"Yeah," Nala admitted. Her eyes sparkled and she looked up at Elvis. "I guess you could say that Now and Then, There's a Fool Such as I."

* * *

Peponi had scored ten points for the zebra while Eboni had beat Winda to the buffalo. Simba was now running as he made his way out of the final turn. The new zebra and buffalo had just been released and he knew that an easy ten points were ready for the taking. He began to slow down so that the prey couldn't hear him.

Sarafina watched from the stands. "Don't go after the buffalo," she said, hoping it would get to him but knowing it wouldn't. "You have nothing to prove, just take the zebra. It's an easy ten points."

Meanwhile, Elvis heard Nala begin to mutter under her breath. "Don't do it, Simba," she said aloud, hoping it would get to him but knowing it wouldn't. "You don't have to prove anything, just go for the zebra. That's the easy ten points."

Simba began to chase after the buffalo.

The sluggish speed of the buffalo meant that he was able to catch it easily. He leapt up onto its back and was able to avoid the hooves and the ground this time. He landed on the buffalo's back, but he didn't have a very tight grasp on it. He began to slide back. Not wanting to accept defeat, Simba reached out one of his front paws and took a swing at the buffalo, hoping that it would accomplish something.

It accomplished nothing.

Simba continued to slide back until, eventually, he lost grip on the buffalo and fell into a heap on the ground. Shairi, Lenny and Tonka took off in chase of the prey while Bilauri remained in ambush and just shook her head.

"Why did you go for the buffalo?" she asked. "The Siku Choka's not about proving anything. You should've just gone for the zebra. That was the easy ten points."

Simba, with his face still buried down in the dirt, just let out a loud groan.

* * *

Three new pieces of prey were released as Winda had got the antelope down, Lenny, to everyone's surprise, had beaten Shairi to the zebra, and Tonka had gotten the buffalo. However, the three new pieces of prey were going to be alive for a long time. Each competitor that was still awake was playing the ambushing strategy, yet they were all far away from the point at which the prey was released. Some of the competitors looked over towards the horizon. It wouldn't be too much longer before the sun set and the game would go into night. That's when most of the points would be made. Tonka, Shairi and Winda all began to run around the track, knowing that now would probably be a good time to find their pride in the stands and fall asleep in front of them. Meanwhile, the rest of the competitors were gathering their breath, waiting for the new prey.

"You know the sad thing about this," said Timon to Pumbaa, "is that Tumaini is still leading."

* * *

**(A/N: So Tumaini is out, but Elvis and Nala have finally met! Please leave reviews on what you think of each of the characters, how the story's progressing, etc., etc. I sincerely enjoy reading them.)**


	10. Chapter 10

**(A/N: You asked for it, you got it! Here's a long-awaited _long_ chapter for you all, where Eboni and Juveda say their first words of the event. Also, this site has gotten all funny with how it reacts to line breaks recently, so I hope they come out well-placed and that you are all able to follow the flow of this chapter easily. If not, let me know!)**

* * *

Bilauri looked on down the track.

"I don't like the looks of Elvis and Nala there," she said.

"Trust me," Simba replied, "you're not the only one."

Bilauri rolled her eyes. "I meant strategy-wise Simba. Those two are both good hunters. If we're going to get any of this new prey, we're going to have to get it fast."

"Oh, okay. I didn't think Elvis was that good."

"He got third last year," Bilauri replied. "Quite exceptional really, for a rookie. Put him up among the top 30 greatest Siku Choka competitors of all time." Bilauri smiled. "Makes it sound quite easy, huh?"

"Who else here is in the top 30?"

"Guvu, Tumaini, Winda, Shemshi…yeah, and Elvis, that's it. Wouldn't be surprised if Eboni could get her name up there either."

"Huh," Simba replied, "didn't know Shemshi was that good. He's been asleep the whole time."

Bilauri laughed. "Yeah, that's probably why he's up there, though."

Simba frowned. "What about Shairi? Surely she should be up in the top 30."

"Not anymore," said Bilauri. "I guess Elvis knocked her out." Bilauri lowered her voice and crouched down. "Anyhow, time to start rewriting the history books. The prey is almost here."

* * *

"Which one's Simba going to go for?" asked Timon, watching the prey creep towards Bilauri and Simba.

"Where's Kiara? Where's Kiara? There she is!" exclaimed Sarafina, lifting her paws away from her eyes.

Kiara began laughing.

"Sarafina?"

"Yes Timon?" replied the lioness, now that he had finally caught her attention.

"Which one's Simba going to go for?"

"Hmm," said Sarafina, standing up to get a better look down the straight. The corners of her mouth twitched upwards into a smile. "I think he's learned his lesson," she replied. "He's going to go for the zebra."

"Told ya," Pumbaa interjected, elbowing Timon, "now hand over that bug."

"Hang on, he hasn't gone for the zebra yet."

Suddenly however, their conversation was cut off as Sarafina began laughing.

"Oh!" she exclaimed. "This is delightful!"

"What?" asked Timon and Pumbaa in unison.

"Well if Simba goes for the zebra…look who's going to be first in ambush…"

* * *

Bilauri took off after the antelope. Simba took off after the zebra. The buffalo began running too, hoping to get away from them all.

Bilauri had timed her attack well and wasted no time in killing the antelope. However, Simba was a couple of strides back from the zebra and he was now approaching the turn. The other lions that had been waiting in ambush moved out.

Now, running right alongside Simba, was none other than a young lioness which the lion king called his mate: Nala.

Nala jumped up on the zebra's back first, but the fight wasn't over. The zebra was struggling to keep up its speed now that it had a fully-grown lioness on its back. Its rear legs began collapsing and its back was now arched in the perfect ramp-shape for Simba to jump onto. So, that's what he did.

However, now that Simba was on the zebra's back, he had another problem to deal with.

_Shove._

Problem solved.

Nala rolled to a heap on the ground while Simba brought his focus to the back of the zebra's neck. Nala had not been able to get a bite this time, and so this zebra was all for Simba's taking. Simba bit down hard on the zebra's neck and soon had it lying down dead on the ground.

Now, Simba had ten points. He also had a fairly disgruntled lioness standing above him.

"Think you're playing a bit rough?" Nala asked.

"Oh yeah?" Simba replied, standing up. "You would've done the same to me."

Nala cocked her head. "True," she agreed, "but fact is that you've done it twice to me now. I'm getting a bit tired of rolling around in the mud."

"Maybe you should try and work on your balance then," Simba replied.

Nala's lips were tightly pursed. Truth was, Simba was right. However, truth also was, as far as Nala was concerned, that she _was_ getting quite tired of 'rolling around in the mud.' She'd had a rough Siku Choka so far and yet she didn't have a lot of points to show for it.

"How many points you got?" she asked.

"Thirty-four," Simba replied. "You?"

"Thirty-three."

Simba chuckled out of delight, but Nala's stern gaze soon brought a halt to his amusement.

Simba stuttered for a minute, looking for the right words to say. "L—look Nala, I know this whole hunting and Siku Choka thing has always been your thing and not mine, but…well…you said it yourself. If I'm going to play, I've got to play to win."

"I know," Nala replied, "I just didn't expect you to be so good at it."

Simba opened his mouth to respond, but then he finally caught on to what Nala was getting at. He smirked.

"What you saying, Nal'?" he asked. "You _are_ getting upset? That I'm kicking your butt in your own game?"

Nala shook her head and laughed. Simba had a hunch that the laugh was just to cover up her true emotions.

"It's still early in the game," Nala replied. "Let's wait until night, then the true Siku Choka stars will shine."

* * *

The game was quieting down. Night would soon be here and the lions, with their exceptional night-vision, would be at an advantage. Also, as it got cooler the ground could get softer. The preys' hooves would slip more, but the lions' claws would provide them with extra traction and better opportunities for bringing the prey down. And finally, they would be able to do all this hard work in cooler temperatures, rather than having to break sweat each chase in the heat of the day.

Guvu, Lenny and Eboni had all gotten an extra set of ten points for bringing prey down. Now, they, along with every other competitor still left awake, were trotting away around the circuit, looking for their prides on the hillsides so that they could fall asleep in front of them.

Simba and Nala found their pride easily. They were sitting on the hillside at the mid-point down the frontstretch, just as they always were.

"Hi Mom," called Nala, "how's Kiara doing?"

"She's fine," Sarafina replied, making her way on down the hill a bit so she didn't have to shout to speak to her. "Don't worry about her," she added, "we're all much more concerned about you two."

"Don't be," Nala said, "trust me, the only one I have to fear out there is Simba."

Simba chuckled. Sarafina didn't.

"You don't know that," Sarafina replied. "You're already down to 13 out there, you never know how rough it could be."

"With all due respect Sarafina, Linda and Tumaini are both still alive," Simba reasoned.

"So?" Sarafina snapped. "That's great to hear but you can't read into that at all. Each time a lion walks away from a hunting accident is nothing short of a miracle. Those two had a lot of luck on their sides. You might not."

Simba shrugged. "Still, everyone out there so far is being sensible. No second Wamariri."

"Nope," Nala agreed, letting out a yawn. She lied down. "Good grief, I'm tired. Come on pillow, time to get some rest," she said, beckoning Simba to lie down with her.

Sarafina smiled as she watched her daughter and her son-in-law curl up together. "Glad to see that you two still get on okay. I've seen you both out there with Elvis and Bilauri."

"And Shairi," added Nala, "and Peponi."

"Actually Nal', I haven't talked with Peponi yet, so you can't call me out on that one. Also, Bilauri's annoying. She talks a lot."

Nala opened her eyes and fixed her stare on Simba. "And Shairi?" she asked.

Simba shrugged. "I said I owe her one, we'll have to see where that goes."

Nala sighed. "Don't be Cruel to me, Simba," she said, "I wouldn't want you to be lonesome tomorrow night."

* * *

Many of the spectators began to lie down so they could get some shut-eye. Every single competitor on track was now asleep. The antelope, zebra and buffalo on course were free to pace the track at their own speed.

Several competitors had been asleep for a long portion of the event already. Shemshi had only scored one point so far, as he had completed a lap early and then fallen asleep in front of his home pride on the backstretch. Juveda had also scored an impressive 22 points early on in the going before taking a prolonged catnap. She was actually outscoring Shairi who, despite being awake during the early part of the event, had yet to catch anything since she brought down the first antelope. She had a mere 14 points.

Each lion was asleep in front of their home pride. That way, their families would be there to wake them if the action started to pick up again. Everyone knew, however, that it would be unlikely to pick up before nightfall.

The only competitor who didn't have her pride there to watch her was Juveda. She was asleep on the frontstretch and had nothing or nobody around to tell her when to wake. Only a sixth sense would be able to tell her when the time was right.

Juveda shuddered.

A gust of wind had just blown, and it had felt colder than normal. Juveda opened her eyes and gave a peek out to the horizon. Two seconds later, and the lioness was standing on all four feet, awake and alert as ever.

It was time to play. Juveda began to run. The buffalo and zebra were far away. But, for now, there was nobody around to challenge her.

* * *

"Why's Juveda running?" asked Juliette, one of the lionesses from the Nyaziland Pride.

"Because she's an idiot," replied a young male by the name of Poa. "Why would you want to waste so much energy now? She's going to have to run around the whole track if she wants 30 points."

"Exactly," replied Juliette, "there must be more to it than that."

Juliette looked around, trying to find anything that would explain why Juveda had decided to hunt this early.

Finally, she caught it.

"Oh no," she commented, "quick, tell Shemshi to wake up!"

"Why?" asked Poa.

"Because…well…just look over there."

Poa looked. His eyes grew. Juliette was right. It was time to wake Shemshi up.

* * *

Juveda, Shemshi, Shairi and Winda were now all awake. The crowd began to stir, wondering why the sudden change in strategy had occurred.

"Surely you could explain it to us, right Sarafina?" asked Timon.

Sarafina shook her head 'no.'

"Well someone around here's got to be able to."

"Ten o'clock!" exclaimed a new voice, this one belonging to an ancient shaman who lived in the Prideland savannah.

Sarafina smiled. "Good evening Rafiki," she said. "And I think its gone ten o'clock, by the way."

"How so?" asked Timon. "It's still daylight."

"Yes, but ten o'clock around here is actually four o'clock. It's…don't mind…it's probably just going to confuse you."

Rafiki chuckled. "I wasn't talking about the time, Sarafina," he replied. "I was talking about de sky! Ten o'clock."

Sarafina frowned. "How do you mean?"

"Look in front of you."

Sarafina did so.

"That's twelve o'clock. Behind you is six o'clock, left of you is nine and right of you is three."

"So…" said Sarafina, thinking, "…you want me to look _that _wa…oh…oh my…"

Sarafina now understood it all. It was hard to see, but it was there. A black cloud was sitting right on the horizon. It hadn't been there before, so it was evidently making its way towards them, having just passed over the crest of the horizon. What's more, there was probably more behind it. Night rains usually went on for extended periods in this part of the world.

"Yeah…we're gonna have to wake them," said Sarafina.

"Why?" asked Timon.

"When it starts raining it's going to be hard to score points, so they're going to need to try and score as many points as possible now."

"Oh, alright. "HEY SIMBA! NALA! THERE'S A BIG, BLACK RAINCLOUD ON THE HORIZON, YOU BOTH MIGHT WANT TO GET UP!" bellowed Timon down the hill.

Sarafina covered her face with her paw. She groaned.

"Way to go, Timon," she commented, listening as all the spectators around them began chattering, "you just told every other competitor what was going on too."

Every competitor was now awakening as news spread that there was a giant raincloud coming from the 'ten o'clock' horizon.

"So why's this such a big deal?" asked Simba.

"Well it's completely changed everyone's strategy," Nala explained. "All of a sudden, nighttime has turned from the best time to hunt and into the worst time to hunt."

"How will it be the worst? The weather's still going to be cool, isn't it? And our vision is still better than theirs. We probably will have better traction than them too, those herbivores are going to be slipping everywhere on those hooves."

"Yes, yes and yes," replied Nala. "We're still going to be hunting at night. If you don't, you're going to lose out on a lot of points. However, a mud circuit coated in rain drops? Welcome to the slushy running of the Siku Choka slid 'n' slide."

Simba smirked. "Well," he reasoned, "at least I don't have balance issues."

Nala growled.

"Let me guess," he continued, "you hate hunting in the rain?"

"Guilty," Nala replied. "I'm terrible at it. Some lions aren't, Juni almost won Siku Choka 19 because it began raining with two hours to go. She just ran out of time, though."

"Oh," Simba replied. He frowned. "Hang on, I thought it had only rained in Siku Chokas 4, 14 and 22?"

Nala was surprised. "How did you know that?" she asked.

"You and Bilauri brought it up in your argument earlier. It was Bilauri who said it."

Nala was beaming. "Oh, I am going to totally rub that in her face later. She was wrong!" Nala exclaimed. She began laughing. "Yes, yes, it rained in Siku Choka 19 too."

Shemshi caught the zebra on the backstretch while Juveda brought down the buffalo. New prey was released. Simba and Nala were not too far away from the prey-release point. They both crouched down.

"Good luck," muttered Nala.

"You too," replied Simba.

* * *

The zebra could see Eboni. He knew she was there, but that didn't bother Eboni at all. She knew how this game was played. It was a challenge: she had to crouch down and be ready to strike, yet at the same time relax her nerves and break eye contact from the zebra, tricking it into believing she wasn't interested in him.

The zebra began to move on by the coffee-colored lioness, and Eboni made her move. The zebra barely had time to react, and thus the chase was short lived.

_Perfect!_

This was exactly what Eboni had wanted. She perked her ears up, but otherwise lied motionlessly over her recent kill.

She heard a footstep. The buffalo was to the left of her. Eboni leapt up and was soon right on the buffalo's tail. She was on the creature's back by the time she made her way by Simba and Nala, but had the buffalo down before she made it to Elvis. Eboni was twenty points richer, and she was still lined up early in ambush. Things were looking good for this lioness.

Meanwhile, Bilauri had caught the antelope and three new pieces of prey were released. They all ran on by Bilauri before she could spring a second attack. The prey was now on their way towards the two nyimbi.

"We've got a lot of track to ourselves, Simba," Nala said hurriedly. "Quick, let's not fight over the same piece of prey. Which one are you going to go for?"

"Zebra."

"Antelope."

No sooner had the words left their mouths, and they were off.

Eboni soon joined in the chase. She decided to challenge Simba for the zebra.

Elvis, therefore, was virtually left unchallenged when he ran out from his ambushing post and brought the buffalo down for ten points.

A new buffalo was released right as Shemshi came running down the straight. He gave chase.

Meanwhile, Eboni was pulling in front of Simba and was ready to make her move on the zebra. As she pounced, Simba attacked from the back, hoping he could throw the zebra off balance and rob Eboni of ten points.

It worked partially. Eboni was caught off-guard and off-balance, and she rolled over into a heap on the dirt. Unfortunately for Simba, the zebra had been able to escape from its ordeal, and it was now running off farther on down the straight, soon to have its life cut short by Tonka.

"Sorry about that, Eboni," Simba apologized. "I was just trying to get ten points."

Eboni stood up. "You have nothing to apologize for," she replied. "I would've done the same thing."

"Ah, well…good. Glad you're not mad."

"Oh, I'm pissed," replied Eboni, glaring at Simba, "but still, that's just how this game goes."

Nala, meanwhile, needed a bit of luck in order to kill this antelope. She was starting to tire out, and the opportunity of ten more points was beginning to fade away.

Desperate times call for desperate measures.

Nala attacked the antelope's rear leg, just enough to wound it and cause it to run with a bit of a limp. Now the antelope was slower. Nala slowed herself up too and got back into rhythm. Then, she attacked again, this time for the kill. Ten points went to Nala.

Three new pieces of prey were released, and the games started again.

Shairi, Juveda and Lenny went after the zebra while Winda went after the antelope. They were all a bit worn out already as they had just finished running around the track after being woken by their prides and told about the rain. The buffalo had no one in pursuit and so Shemshi ran out from ambush and made quick work of him. The Nyaziland lion had learned a lot during his four previous times in this event.

Juveda had just come out from a longer run than Shairi, and so was not able to match her pace just now. The Lionrock sister got her first set of ten since the one she had opened the game with. Meanwhile, her sister was losing ground on the antelope. Knowing that any further pursuit would be in vain, Winda gave up on her chase on the antelope, and Eboni ambushed it farther on down the straight.

Three new pieces of prey were released, and the games started again again.

"Now this is more like it!" exclaimed Timon.

"Agreed," replied Sarafina, just as enthused "this is what the game is all about! Ambush, ambush, ambush, kill, kill, kill, release, release, release. Eventually they'll all be ambushing so far down the straight that they will all chase the prey around the whole track. Ha, ha! This is great!"

Peponi was finishing up her lap-long run. She was coming out of the final turn and would soon be in pursuit of the prey. The first piece of prey walking on down the straight was the buffalo. Bilauri was the first competitor lined up in ambush.

Bilauri gulped. She knew what she had to do. If she waited for the other two pieces of prey, she would have to fight over them with Peponi. The best strategic call for her was to go for the buffalo, no matter how frightening that might be.

Bilauri went after the buffalo and was quickly on its hind heels. However, this buffalo was a bit larger than average. Bilauri was struggling to find a safe angle to attack it from. She checked over at the side of the track. She could tell that she was closing in on the others in ambush. She was using up too much track. It was now or never. Bilauri swallowed down her fears and pounced onto the buffalo's back.

Bilauri weight was enough to cause the buffalo to slow down, but not enough to bring him down. Shemshi ran out from ambush and leapt up from the buffalo's side, homing in on an attack on the neck. Juveda joined in the group and ran around the side of the buffalo, attacking him from the other side of the neck. Eventually, the overweight creature came down to the ground and the track workers ran out onto the circuit. Bilauri, Shemshi and Juveda ran back out to the outside of the track, preparing themselves in ambush for the next piece of prey.

As they looked back over across the track, they saw one of the track workers, a meerkat, pointing across the track at Shemshi. The meerkat then held up ten fingers, informing Shemshi that he had been the one who had scored the ten points. Shemshi fist pumped the air, and the meerkat ran back into the infield.

Meanwhile, Peponi's chase was coming to a finish, and the antelope was the one that paid the price. The zebra was still up for grabs for the ambushers. Lenny was the first one lined up. Everyone knew that there was a good chance that Lenny would mistime his attack and cause the zebra to run off, even if he did have 45 points already.

Amazingly, there were only three competitors still left in the game that had more points than Lenny: Eboni with 86 points, Elvis with 64 points and Bilauri with 55 points.

For now, those three would stay in front of Lenny who, indeed, mistimed his attack and caused the zebra to run off. Shairi and Elvis were the first two to run out for it but the chase was short-lived. Shairi took the ten and they both lined back up in ambush, although they had now used up a lot of valuable track.

Farther on down the straight, Nala swished her tail impatiently. This wasn't quite going to plan for her. She had used up an excessive amount of track during her chase with the antelope earlier and, consequently, had been the last lion lined up in ambush ever since. She couldn't run around a lap as that would kill too much time and, with the black rainclouds creeping ever closer, there wasn't a whole lot of time left.

What Nala needed right now, was a chase.

Finally, one broke out. Peponi had gotten a sluggish start when she had begun chasing the antelope. Still, speed was her strong point, and so she knew she would have a good chance to catch back up.

The buffalo had been pacing the circuit in front of the antelope, and so when he heard the chase coming from behind him, he broke out into a run too.

Winda was the first in ambush. She ran out from her post and tried to attack the antelope. However, she could tell that she was coming in from the wrong angle, and so instead she just backed off and gave chase too. Wounding a piece of prey was never a smart idea. Causing the prey to be in pain or run with a limp could cause the animal to do anything: swerve, buck, fight back. If it wasn't wounded, it would just run, and that's how the Siku Choka organizers and competitors wanted it.

Shemshi, Elvis and Guvu all ran out to try and get the buffalo down. The poor creature didn't stand much of a chance against three fully-grown males, and it was the two-time champion, Guvu, that got the points.

Peponi and Winda were still chasing the antelope, but nobody seemed interested in joining them. That's when Nala broke out, and she was able to time it beautifully. She was right on the antelope's hind heels, with Peponi and Winda a full body length behind her. They were running through the turn now, and so Nala held off on her attack. It was hard enough to bring a prey down in a straight line, never mind a corner. When the track straightened back out again, Nala finally made her move. It was no contest; ten points went to Nala.

* * *

"Idiots," sneered Bilauri, "don't they understand that if they hadn't chased that antelope, they'd still be lined up in ambush?" she asked aloud, looking over at the competitor next to her for a response.

The other lioness wasn't sure if Bilauri actually wanted her to respond, but, assuming she had, she just went ahead and told Bilauri her true feelings.

"Has anyone told you how bloody annoying you really are?" Juveda replied. "I mean, I'm just standing here trying to get some points in this bloody game and here you come up, thinking you're all smart-ass and mighty, and you try to look for me for reassurance on how to play a game that you think you're more knowledgeable at. It's quite ridiculous really. I mean if I thought I knew everything there was to know about dry grass, then why would I go about and make snide remarks about dry grass to someone else unless I wanted to learn something? Unless I really don't know a bloody thing about dry grass. Or perhaps I'm just so pathetic that I like going around boasting to everyone that I do. So please, shut up. I'm trying to play this game too and I've already got enough bloody distractions without you yapping away next to me."

Bilauri blinked. She took her gaze away from Juveda.

"O—okay…" she replied.

"Now I didn't ask for a bloody response," added Juveda, "so please, just pipe it down and we can get back to this game, huh? Ah, to hell with it. You've probably never listened to a bloody soul in your life, why the hell would you start with me, now?"

Bilauri opened her mouth to respond again, but then realized that that would probably be a _very_ bad idea. In fact, talking to Juveda again ever seemed like a very bad idea right now. So, she took Juveda's advice and closed her mouth. The new prey would soon be on its way.

* * *

Before the new zebra could be Bilauri's or Juveda's, it would have to get by Lenny. Easier done than said, unfortunately for Lenny. He lined back up in ambush, while Bilauri remained on the sidelines as Juveda ran out and scored ten points for the zebra.

Juveda ran back towards the outside of the track and then gave a look down the track.

The field had now used up too much track. With Guvu getting the buffalo, Nala getting the antelope and herself getting the zebra, three new pieces of prey had just been released, yet they were far away from Lenny who was the first lion lined up in ambush. Nala, Peponi and Winda, who were all still running on the backstretch, would probably get to the new prey first.

However, the thing that would probably beat them all, was that big black raincloud.

* * *

**(A/N: Woo! Lots of action! Surely I gave y'all something to comment on? And don't call me Shirley. Hope you enjoyed!)**


	11. Chapter 11

**(A/N: I know I don't name my chapters, but let's call this one: rain and teammates. FYI, here's how each competitor got their name:**

**Bilauri: Swahili for glass**

**Eboni: we used to have a dog called Ebony and I just think its a nice name**

**Elvis: duh?**

**Guvu: nguvu is Swahili for strength**

**Juveda: Deja vu rearranged**

**Lenny: Lenny  
**

**Linda: Swahili for protect**

**Nala: I didn't make that**

**Peponi: Swahili for paradise**

**Shairi: Swahili for poem**

**Shemshi: Um...I guess I made it up**

**Simba: Swahili for lion**

**Tonka: When you're a kid, Tonka trucks seem like big things that are fun. Tonka is a fun guy who...do I have to explain everything?**

**Tumaini: Swahili for hope**

**Winda: Swahili for hunt**

**Enjoy this _super_ long chapter!)**

* * *

Lenny was the first one that the buffalo walked by. Lenny didn't budge. His brother had given him strong words of advice two years ago that buffalo were not Lenny's forte. The antelope was now on its way towards him, but so were Peponi, Winda and Nala. The prey began to break off into a run.

Then, up in the far hills on the backstretch, Lenny watched as the spectators all suddenly crouched down and covered themselves with their paws, hooves and wings. The heavens had opened and it was pelting it down.

Seconds later, it landed on the frontstretch and the whole track was coated.

Everyone was caught off-guard by how sudden the change in conditions had occurred, but none more so than the buffalo. He was the first to slip and fall, right in front of Bilauri. Bilauri saw the opportunity of an easy ten points and so ran over and killed it.

The zebra was also beginning to slide as the top layer of the track quickly turned from dust to mud. Peponi, however, had had a lot of experience at hunting in the rain, and so she was able to retain traction and kill the zebra, while Winda slid and fell behind her.

Now normally, Peponi would have made her way over to the outside of the track and lined back up in ambush. However, the antelope hadn't gone far away from her. And, though he was slowing down to a walking pace, he was still losing control of one of his legs every now and then. Peponi got back up and gave chase, hoping that she wasn't being overconfident.

She wasn't. She got the ten points but now her secret was blown. Peponi was _good_ at this rain-stuff.

Three new pieces of prey were released and Nala was lined up first in ambush.

Nala dug her claws into the ground below her, testing the dirt to see how wet it really was.

_Not too bad yet, _she thought, though water was running like rivers down her sides, _the only reason everyone began slipping was because it was so unexpected. They were simply just running too fast._

The buffalo went by her, and Nala gave chase. Indeed, this hunt could just well have been carried out in the dry as far as Nala and the buffalo were concerned. They both knew it was wet and they both knew their limits and so no slipping occurred. Still, a buffalo was not easy to bring down, and now it was made harder as the rain made it difficult for Nala to see clearly. Nala was an exceptional huntress though, and, while it may have taken her longer than usual, she was still able to kill the buffalo for another set of ten points.

The zebra was the next up and now Winda was the first in ambush. Winda let the zebra by.

Several spectators, Sarafina included, forgot about the rain and perked themselves up. They could tell what was about to happen.

"It is time," said Sarafina. "Winda's going to let the antelope go by. She's going to chase them both."

"What's so great about that?" Timon asked back, still with his hands over his head trying, in vain, to keep the rain away.

"She's going to initiate a chase around the track. Everyone's so far away from the prey-release point now. Each time they ambush they have to wait several minutes for the prey to get to them. Now, they can all run around the track and line up right in front of the prey release point. The big question is, who is going to go for the antelope and zebra, and who's going to stay and wait for the buffalo?"

"I thought the big question was, who's going to slip and fall?" Pumbaa said back.

Sarafina smiled. "Yes," she replied, "yes, that is a very good question as well."

Winda, as anticipated, began the chase. She was after the zebra, but the antelope was in front of her too. Lenny intended on joining the chase too, but ended up face-first in the mud almost immediately after he began to run. Several audience members laughed and Lenny, humiliated by his quick fall, decided to remain in his ambushing post and conserve his energy.

Nala remained in ambush for the buffalo while Peponi ran out to join Winda. Bilauri, Simba, Shairi, Tonka, Eboni, Shemshi and Elvis joined in too.

So far, they were all doing quite well, despite the fact that none of them had caught either piece of prey.

However, the track doesn't stay straight forever.

They ran into the first of the two long left turns, and Shairi was the first to fall. The pack of lions was now down to eight.

The second to slip over was the zebra. Peponi slowed down, hoping she could kill the zebra while he was on the ground. Simba wasn't as agile, however, and he slid into the lioness, knocking them both down into a heap.

Eboni and Tonka leapt over them and attacked the zebra themselves. However, it seemed that they were unsuccessful as the zebra was quickly back up onto its feet and away. Eboni snarled at Tonka before running back after the zebra. Obviously there had been some disagreement there…

Simba and Peponi untangled themselves and stood back up.

"Sorry about that, Peponi," said the lion king, despite trying hard to hold back a laugh. Half of Peponi was still her beautiful self, but the other side of her was coated in mud. "You stopped so suddenly, I just couldn't slow down for you quick enough."

Peponi sighed as a response. "I guess it happens," she replied, "just don't make a habit out of it."

Peponi ran off but Simba was not left alone. Tonka was still standing near him as the rest scurried off into the distance.

"Pretty little thing, isn't she?" the lion said.

"I'm married, Tonka."

"I am too," replied the cheerful lion, "but I'm not to worry. I think my wife would be too scared to come out here, so she's not going to hear what I say."

"Unfortunately I can't say the same," replied Simba. Remembering Nala, he looked back over at the frontstretch to see if she had been able to get the buffalo. Too early to check yet. The buffalo hadn't even made its way to her. They had all been lined up so far away in ambush.

"Any chance we'll be discussing diplomatic relations while we're out here?" joked Tonka.

Simba chuckled. "May have to sort something out between you and Eboni. What was all that about?"

"Oh, I just think she was upset that I'd joined her in attacking that zebra. She probably would have got it then and there had I not interfered."

A cheer broke out on the backstretch. Simba and Tonka looked over.

"Oh, looks like she got it anyways."

"Still a good chase for the antelope though," added Simba, "who's that? Looks like Bilauri, Winda, Shemshi and Elvis."

"Shemshi's a cool cat," said Tonka, "I got to meet him at last year's Siku Choka. I was there helping Kanafa run the thing."

"Yeah, I'd heard about that. Then you decided to do it yourself, huh?"

"Guess so. Not working out too bad either, 43 points now."

"35," replied Simba. "Come on, let's get walking again. Chase these guys up."

As the two kings began walking, Tonka's pick did score ten as Shemshi slipped the least and got the antelope down. The others continued to run, knowing that a new zebra and antelope had now been released on the front stretch. Nala, meanwhile, got the buffalo and so a new one of those was released too, while Nala took off around the track to log another lap.

The rain was still pouring but it looked like everyone had control. That was until Eboni slipped in the second of the two turns and slid across the track and into the track edge, where the increase in banking bent her paw back underneath her arm. It wasn't enough to break anything, but it was enough to put her in a temporary state of pain. The points leader was forced to limp her way around the rest of the track.

Lenny was the only competitor that had not gone on to run a lap around the track now, and so, when the zebra arrived, it was his for the taking. He lined back up in ambush.

A new zebra was released but Winda, Bilauri and Elvis quickly bundled on top of it, swatting their claws around until the creature was dead. In all the rain, fighting and confusion that occurred, Winda somehow suffered a nasty flesh wound onto her right shoulder. She wasn't in pain much but she ran her tongue over it a couple of times, trying her best to clean it all up. Still, she was quite satisfied knowing that the ten points had been hers.

Shemshi was already on the tail of the new zebra and so the three fighters lined back up in ambush. They were soon joined by Peponi and Shairi.

"My gods, Winda, what happened to you?" asked Shairi, looking at her sister's shoulder wound.

"Just a tussle, don't fret," replied her sister coolly.

Shairi frowned. "Well don't ignore it, that could get infected you know."

"Yes _mother," _Winda replied. "What happened to you, anyways? You're coated in mud. You look uglier than usual."

Shairi rolled her eyes. "This is what I get for trying to be nice," she murmured.

Their dispute was cut short, however, as Shemshi scored another ten for the zebra and Lenny scored another ten for ambushing the antelope. Both were, all of a sudden, putting on rather impressive performances.

Shairi, Winda, Bilauri, Elvis and Peponi all crouched down in anticipation of the next piece of prey. Tonka and Simba would have been bringing up the chase from behind, but Tonka slid over in a giant puddle, leaving Simba on his own. The new zebra and antelope were released.

The ambushers ran out and Simba gave chase too. Winda quickly gave up as she realized that her injury was worse than what she'd thought. She would need a bit more time in order to nurse that wound.

For the rest of the chasers though, it was a victory for the males as Simba scored ten for the zebra and Elvis scored ten for the antelope. The group lined back up in ambush.

_Three_ new pieces of prey were being released as Shemshi had gotten ten points richer too after the buffalo had slipped and fallen.

Tonka was back up on his feet but not in time enough to beat Guvu, Juveda or Nala, all three of which flew on by him.

Guvu was planning on bringing the buffalo down while Nala and Juveda were homing in on the zebra. However, that all changed when the antelope slipped and fell.

Nala and Juveda both charged in on the fallen creature and began biting at its neck. A track worker ran out onto the course and pushed them both back from the corpse, investigating as best as he could who the killer had been. After a quick investigation, he declared Nala the victor. Juveda wasn't pleased.

"What a rotten call," she said aloud as she and Nala made their way back to the outside of the circuit. "Why don't you pipe up and tell him the truth, Miss Royalty? You know as well as I do that that bloody antelope was mine."

Nala didn't want to reply. She had no idea whether that antelope had truly been hers or not. She had just bitten down as hard as she could and hoped that the track worker had called it in her favor. She couldn't blame Juveda for being bitter, but did she really have to go on?

"I don't understand why you didn't just go for the zebra anyways, or did you feel it a necessity to deny _me_ of ten points as soon as you saw that antelope go down? I mean it was obvious that I went for it first, I saw it first. If they really were too blind to see that it was I who killed it they could have at least gave me the points for…"

Nala sighed and moved on a few paces down the track. Strategically it was not a move that would help her, but she really did not want to listen to Juveda's rambling.

"…oh, running away now are we? Thought that's what the legendary Nala who brought Simba back to Pride Rock was against. Wasn't she always the one that stood up for what was right and fought her challenges head-on? That's not the Nala I'm seeing here."

Juveda, finally satisfied that she had gotten her point across, grew silent and returned her focus to the event.

Nala, however, just shook her head. What happened regarding herself, Simba and Scar could not be compared to what was taking place in a silly game, especially when lives were not at stake. Her best decision was to just ignore her.

Guvu brought the buffalo down and the crowd applauded. They also applauded as the limping Eboni made it safely back to the spot in front of her home pride. There, she could lie down and try her best to fall asleep…something that was, in the current weather conditions, not the easiest thing to do.

Tonka brought the new buffalo down while Nala let Juveda have the antelope. Perhaps that would cheer that miserable lioness up some.

Meanwhile, a short chase broke out between Bilauri and Shairi for the zebra. Shairi slid the least and she got the ten points.

* * *

Zazu landed back down in front of the Prideland group.

"Eboni leads with 96, our Nala is now second with 85 and Elvis is in third with 75," he reported.

"Great!" exclaimed Timon.

"Wow, you should be proud of your daughter, Sarafina, she's doing really well," Pumbaa added.

Sarafina smiled. "Thank you Pumbaa but those points are meaningless. It's still far too early."

Suddenly, the group was distracted as a loud cheer picked up from the hills on the far left-side of the course. The crowds had thinned out ever since the downpour had started, and so the group was curious as to what could have caused a cheer this loud with this few a spectators.

The answer was simple, as they soon found out. A lioness was making her way out from the infield and was now limping perpendicularly across the track towards the spectators in the hills.

"It's Tumaini," said Sarafina, beaming. "Thank heavens, she's alright. She must be off to take her place in the stands."

"Can't she return to the game?" asked Timon.

"Sadly, no. If you step off track during the game, that means you are taking a break from the Siku Choka. It's a mental challenge out there as well as a physical one. The track becomes your environment, a sort of prison almost. To be in that prison for 24-hours straight, even if you're sleeping, can really mess with your mind. As soon as you are taken away from the track, you've broken out of that prison. Mentally, you are rejuvenated, you _want_ to be back in and fight for the prey. Tumaini would be at an unfair advantage if they allowed her back in now. Also, she's been healed by doctors. But you don't see anyone healing Winda's shoulder wound out there, do you? She's probably also on medications. Who knows what side-effects they could have given her."

"Ah well," said Timon, "better luck next year."

"Indeed," replied Sarafina. She looked back down at the circuit. The action looked like it was about to simmer down for a while again. In all the ambushing that had occurred, the competitors had slowly but surely worked their ways away from the prey-release point. They would have to wait a little while for the prey to come their way again.

"Could you keep an eye on Kiara for me guys?" Sarafina asked, "I think I want to go and see Tumaini."

* * *

Eventually, the buffalo made its way on by Tonka and Nala. They both gave chase, but they were going to play cleanly. Nala had been to see Tonka many-a-times when she and Simba had been on diplomatic ventures, and he had always been easy to work with. So, when Nala slipped and almost fell, she accepted that this chase wasn't hers. Tonka pounced and the buffalo was soon his. Nala lined back up in ambush.

The lion that was lined up first in ambush was Winda, but she was still unsure about running on her injured shoulder. So, she let the antelope by. The zebra was next up though, and Winda knew that he would be a slower target. Even if she lost the race, at least a chase would cause her to get used to the pain. Winda began chasing the zebra, and got lucky when the zebra slipped in the wet mud and fell into Winda's claws. Winda was ten points richer and still the first competitor in ambush.

Guvu had been losing out. Ever since his back-to-back wins, anyone who had entered their name in the Siku Choka knew that they would have to get good at killing buffalo if they were to pose any kind of challenge at all to Guvu. Thus, most of the field in Siku Choka 27 was quite capable and experienced in bringing buffalo down, with Lenny and Simba being the notable exceptions.

So, Guvu was going to try and find a new way to win. The antelope went on by him and he gave chase. Speed had never been Guvu's strongpoint, but it didn't have to be. If Guvu could retain his balance well enough, these ten points could easily be his.

Guvu was in control of what he was doing, but so was the antelope. Therefore, Guvu essentially had just chased the antelope into an easy ambush for Nala and Peponi. Peponi, who was better at hunting in wet conditions than what Nala was, scored the ten points.

The field had now moved its way far, far down the track. It was time to chase again. Hopefully none of them would end up like Eboni, who seemed to have fallen asleep quite easily in front of her home pride.

Winda had determined to herself that she was fit to run, and so she crouched down and got ready to spring the attack. The three new pieces of prey walked on by.

Winda gave chase. As each of the other competitors joined in, they each chose their own piece of prey that they wanted to target. However, the prey was huddled together and so the lions were as well. Really, they were just running in one big pack.

The first one to fall was Nala, before they even got to the first turn. The rain was still pouring and the mud was slipperier than ever. The antelope was the second to fall and, this time, Simba was prepared. He charged it down and got it by the back of the neck, cutting its life short in just a matter of seconds.

Guvu was right on the buffalo's tail as they headed off into the turn. Knowing that the prey was more prone to sliding in the turn than on the straight, Guvu reached out a paw and knocked the buffalo down to the side. The buffalo quickly lost his footing and slid into the dirt. Peponi and Elvis tried to run over for the kill but Guvu was there already. Ten points went to the two-time champ.

Winda's wound may not have been hurting her but it was slowing her down. Shairi ran out in front of her younger sister and brought the zebra down herself.

Shairi, Simba and Guvu were each ten points richer, but the field was all still playing the same game as they continued to run back towards the frontstretch. Three new pieces of prey had been released, and they had to be someone's for the taking.

* * *

"So, who's the best?" Sarafina asked, approaching Tumaini from behind.

Tumaini whirled around. "Sarafina, how are you?" she asked, pulling her former competitor into a hug.

"That's not important," replied the lioness, "the important question is, how are _you?"_

"Physically well, but mentally disappointed. Should've pulled myself towards the outside of the track before all that stuff broke out, then I'd still be in it." She sighed. "I hate hindsight, don't you?"

"Yet another unimportant question," Sarafina commented. "How about my one, who's the best?"

"How do you mean?"

"Well it's not often a spectator gets to talk with a Siku Choka competitor who's played against every player on the field. Tell me, who do I need to warn my daughter of? You know, who's going to win?"

"Now that I'm out I guess it would be Eboni," Tumaini replied.

"Why's that?"

"She reminds me of me, and I know I would've won."

Sarafina rolled her eyes.

"Then I guess Winda could always be a threat too," Tumaini added. "But it's too early to say yet really. Still a long ways to go. I mean, look at both of them…Eboni and Winda, they're both injured right now. Quite honestly, anything, and I mean anything, could happen."

* * *

The sun was setting now, and it was getting harder to see any of the puddles. Consequently, Tonka and Bilauri both slipped over in a giant puddle in the middle of the turn.

The problem the competitors had now, as they came running back out onto the frontstretch, is that the new prey had already walked on far away from the prey release point. If you went after one of them now, you would probably have to run around another lap if you wanted to be lined up first in ambush. However, with the track so slippery, running wasn't the most desirable activity at the moment.

Still, Juveda was leading the train of lions, and so she wanted to take advantage of her current position. She slowed down to a trotting pace and tried to make as little sound as possible as she crept up towards the zebra.

She could afford to be a little noisier than usual, as the _pitter-patter_ of the raindrops on the ground helped drown out her footsteps.

The zebra heard her in time, but not in time enough to do anything about it. Juveda pounced onto the zebra's back and scored herself ten points. Meanwhile, Lenny, not realizing the disadvantage of chasing after the old prey, continued to run all the way down the frontstretch until he was able to get the antelope. True, he got ten points because of it, but he was now far down the track, far away from the prey-release point, and the last lion in ambush. Not the best position to be in.

The zebra and antelope had been killed, but nobody was after the buffalo. The buffalo continued on his way to log a lap around the track.

Shemshi and Winda, two good friends who lived in neighboring prides, had finished their lap around the track and lined up in ambush.

"I'll take the zebra and you take the antelope?" Shemshi asked, watching two new ones get released.

Winda nodded. "Sounds good," she said.

It seemed teams were already beginning to form…

Sure, there could only be one winner in the Siku Choka, but it was common for competitors to team up during the game in order to try and help each competitor of that team score as many points as possible. Eventually, matters of circumstance usually would tear the teams apart in the late hours of the game, but one could not be bitter about it. To think that another competitor could help you score points was reasonable; to think that another competitor would sacrifice their own chances of winning in order to help you win instead was foolish.

What Winda and Shemshi had set up here was a simple plan that would enable both of them to score an easy set of ten points. That is exactly what they did.

Two new pieces of prey were released but Tonka, Bilauri and Simba didn't bother going after them. They lined up in ambush for the next set of new prey instead. However, Elvis, Nala, Peponi, Shairi and Guvu did.

Elvis and Nala homed in on the zebra while Peponi and Shairi went for the antelope. Guvu didn't have the speed to match them, and so eventually gave up and made his way towards the outside of the track.

The antelope slipped and Shairi was on it in a heartbeat. Ten points went to the Lionrock lioness.

The zebra stumbled and both Nala and Elvis saw their opportunity. Elvis was there first, and he quickly had his canines in the zebra's neck and the carcass brought down to the ground. Nala had gone in for the kill too, but she was too late. As they all came crashing into a heap onto the ground, Nala slammed into the side of Elvis's head and caused the lion to fall over onto his side.

"Oh!" exclaimed Nala, "sorry about that Elvis."

"Oh, never mind me ma'am," replied the lion, picking himself back up. "Well I do see, uh, you're a real good huntress ma'am. You gave me a good challenge there. If you, uh, want to team up later in the game, just let me know."

Nala was caught a bit off-guard by Elvis's proposition but she smiled nonetheless. At least he had offered her the opportunity. She could always reject it later if it looked like it wasn't going to work in her favor.

"I'll consider it. Thanks for the offer," Nala replied. She lowered the tone in her voice. "Thank you very much," she added.

* * *

"Who's the next lion after us, Simba?" asked Bilauri, watching as the new antelope and zebra made its way towards them.

"Well technically it's Eboni," replied Simba, "but she's asleep, so after that it would be Guvu."

"Alright, well…wai—hang on…" said Bilauri, giving a perplexed glance down the track. "Oh no," she whispered, "Eboni's the only one asleep."

Simba looked over at the sleeping lioness too.

"True," he replied, "is there something wrong with that?"

"Well, I don't know about you, but I'm beginning to get a bit worn out. I'm sure many of us are. If we keep on fighting through the mud for the next four or so hours, we're all going to collapse eventually and the sun will rise with all of us asleep, and Eboni picking off every point to herself."

"Aha," replied Simba, not really thinking about it too much. Bilauri seemed like a good strategist so he didn't want to critique her decisions. After all, he had been wrong and she had been right about Shairi's catnap earlier. "So, what do we need to do to prevent that?"

"Some of us are going to have to fall asleep, and soon. We can't have Eboni being up on her own later."

"Didn't you say that was your pride on the hill behind us?" Simba asked, gesturing towards a group of lions right behind them.

"Well…yes…but…I don't _really_ want to fall asleep right now," Bilauri replied, "there are too many points to be gained still. It's…it's just something we're going to have to bear in mind for later." Bilauri looked back over towards the antelope and the zebra. They were not too far away from them now. "Speaking of points," added Bilauri, crouching down, "good luck Simba."

Simba crouched down too. "Good luck Bilauri."

* * *

Tonka had been lined up in ambush just in front of Simba and Bilauri, but he didn't put up much of a chase as he slipped almost immediately after he began running. So, Simba was after the zebra and Bilauri was after the antelope.

It looked like an easy ten points for both of them, but then a brown blur flew across the track and crashed into the side of the zebra, taking the opportunity of an easy kill away from Simba.

It seemed Eboni was back up to full health.

Bilauri killed the antelope and was happy to see Eboni back up on her feet. Now it seemed that every competitor was back on the same sleep schedule, although Shemshi had been asleep for many hours during the early part of the event. She would still need to keep an eye on him.

Tonka went after the new zebra and had no competition around to challenge him. The zebra slid in the mud and made it a short chase for the lion. Now, he may even be able to get the antelope too. He was able to sense it coming from behind. The antelope ran around him to the right and Tonka gave chase. The antelope was actually running towards the outside of the track, where the rest of the competitors were lined up in ambush.

Guvu ran out to try and get the antelope from in front. The antelope saw him coming and so actually stopped and began to try and run back. Unfortunately for the antelope, Tonka was right there behind him. The antelope bent his horns down and aimed them at Tonka while Guvu was tempted to attack the antelope from behind. The problem was that if Tonka took a step away from the antelope or if Guvu tried to attack it, they would both be taking a step the wrong way around the course: a big no-no in the Siku Choka rulebook.

So, Tonka decided to run around the antelope instead, and the antelope gave chase.

The audience was amused. Some were even confused. This wasn't the way the Siku Choka was meant to be played…

The antelope was chasing Tonka around the track. On a normal hunt, Tonka would have turned around and took on the antelope. However, doing that in this game would lead to disqualification. This chase could only end one of two ways. One: Tonka would get rammed by the antelope. Two: one of the competitors would ambush the antelope.

Tonka and the antelope ran on by Simba, Shemshi, Winda, Peponi and Shairi, who were all laughing too hard in order to bother ambushing the prey. Juveda, however, was hard to amuse, and so she took the antelope down, relieving Tonka of his embarrassment.

A new zebra and antelope were on their way.

* * *

Eboni, Guvu, Simba, Shemshi, Winda, Peponi, Shairi, Tonka, Bilauri, Juveda, Nala, Elvis and Lenny. That is the order they were all lined up in ambush.

The zebra went by Eboni first. Guvu, however, knew that this lioness had a healthy points lead. He was as determined as ever to ensure that this zebra was his. As the two lions ran side-by-side, chasing the zebra, they were actually making it more difficult for either of them to attack the zebra as they were both in each other's way regarding the optimal pouncing angle. The optimal place to attack was now from the side, and so that is what Peponi did, denying both Eboni and Guvu of ten points.

All three lined back up in ambush as the antelope began its deadly walk-on by the crowd.

Simba, knowing he had half a chance of getting the antelope down if it slipped, gave chase.

Winda and Shairi both joined in, and both outpaced the lion king with their speed. Shairi was the first on the antelope's back but Winda grabbed it by the rear legs, pulling it down. Shairi was caught off-guard and barely had time to recover before Winda jumped on by her and bit the antelope down on the back of the neck herself.

Simba had just lost out on an opportunity of ten points and his desired first-place in ambush, but perhaps the fight that he had just witnessed could help teach him something later in the event.

Winda, meanwhile, seemed fairly pleased with herself after beating her sister to the prey.

"And thus the pupil surpassed the teacher," she joked, lining back up in ambush.

Shairi just smiled and shook her head. She was now fully coated in mud; evidence to all the spectators that she wasn't the best at this hunting-in-the-wet thing.

Simba moved back into his ambushing position too and was delighted to see that he would be lined up next to Nala.

"Pupils surpassing teachers," Simba commented, "seems to be the theme of the day, don't you think?"

Nala snarled as a response.

"Well how are you, sir?" came a deep voice from the other side of Nala, "I never thought I would actually get to meet the world-famous Simba."

Elvis held out his paw for Simba to shake.

_Why not?_ Simba thought. It wasn't like this lion had ever _actually_ done anything wrong. Simba's disapproving statements of Elvis had been nothing but jokes between himself and Nala.

Simba shook his paw.

"Elvis asked if we wanted to team up later," Nala chimed in.

Simba regretted shaking his paw.

"Why with you?" asked Simba, meeting Nala's gaze.

Nala shrugged. "Guess he thinks I play well."

"I do think you both are very good players," Elvis confirmed. "We could always be a team of three."

That idea sounded slightly better to Simba.

"Ahem," came a voice from behind Simba, as a lioness cleared her throat. Simba turned around to see Shairi lined up next to him in ambush.

"You owe me one, remember?" asked Shairi, smiling politely.

Simba nodded. He turned back to face Nala. "Shairi wants to know if our team of three would have room for one more?"

"Ah—I never said that," Shairi interjected. "Elvis and Nala don't owe me nothing."

"No offense Shairi," Simba replied, "but Nala and I are mates. We work well together. I'd like to be on her team too."

Shairi opened her mouth to respond, but then realized that now would probably be a bad time. The new zebra was now closing in on the lions in ambush.

"Let's continue this discussion later," Shairi suggested, "for now, let's hunt."

Simba and the others agreed, and they got set for the new prey.

* * *

Shemshi did well at getting the zebra down quickly and so he was able to line back up first in ambush. A couple of the other competitors got a little nervous. Shemshi was now second in points behind Eboni and he had had a lot of sleep earlier. Shemshi could be a threat for this thing…

"Shemshi," Bilauri said to herself, "fifth Siku Choka. Third in Siku Choka 22, just nine points shy of winner Nakshi. Proved he was good in the wet. Sixth in Siku Choka 23 and fifth in 24. Injured by Wamariri both times. Could've won Siku Choka 24 otherwise. Seventh in Siku Choka 26 on his return. Good team-worker. Average 171 points per game."

Bilauri ran all those numbers through her head one last time, trying to see if she could make sense of them. She looked around to see if anyone else had heard her. Her face fell when she realized who was lined up in ambush next to her.

"Do you _ever_ just think in your head?" asked Juveda.

Bilauri snapped her gaze away and found something else to look at. She and Juveda did not seem to be the most compatible of lions.

* * *

"Hungry?" asked Sarafina.

"I could be tempted," Tumaini replied.

"Antelope, zebra or buffalo?"

"Zebra sounds nice. I wouldn't want you to drag one from the carcass pile all the way up here though."

Sarafina smirked. "I don't plan on it," she replied. "Tell me, do you think there's about to be a chase?"

"For the antelope? Yup."

"A trip to the carcass pile says my daughter gets this antelope."

"So if she does, I'll get a carcass for us to eat and if she doesn't, you'll go?"

"Shake on it?" asked Sarafina, holding her paw out.

"Deal," Tumaini replied, knowing the odds were in her favor.

The two Siku Choka champions looked on down the straight to see who would get it.

The antelope walked on by Shemshi, but he stayed put. Tonka, Bilauri and Eboni ran out though, with Peponi, Nala, Simba, Shairi and Lenny riding out in a second wave.

A lot of them knew that the antelope would not be theirs, but the buffalo was still walking on his own on the backstretch and so there was an opportunity for ten points there too. Also, the one point that they'd each get for completing another lap could make a difference.

Bilauri was on the hind legs of the antelope while Nala was second in chase. The track was still wet though, and Bilauri slipped. Nala ran on by her and realized that now was as good as ever for her to make her move. She pounced onto the back of the antelope and brought it down for ten points.

The rest of the pack continued to run on by, knowing that there was a buffalo waiting for them on the backstretch.

Meanwhile, Tumaini was trying her best to avoid Sarafina's blatantly smug look.

"Eh…so remember how I got injured, Sarafina? Sure you don't mind if I make it an antelope?"

Sarafina chuckled. "Come on then, I'll help you. We'll bring it back up here together."

The two friends moved off to fetch their food.

* * *

During all of the action, five lions, Shemshi, Juveda, Guvu, Elvis and Winda, had remained on the frontstretch, waiting to ambush the zebra. Shemshi caught it and then decided to run a lap around the track himself. Winda joined in with him while Juveda and Elvis decided to lie down and see if they could attempt to get some sleep. With the rain still pouring, the chances were unlikely.

The pack had now caught the buffalo on the backstretch. Thanks to several of them slipping, Simba was now leading the chase. The male nyimbas jumped up on the back of the buffalo, using every trick that Nala had taught him in order to try and bring it down.

Simba's confidence grew as he realized that this buffalo was giving in, but it still wasn't dead yet. Then, Eboni jumped up and joined him. Simba could have watched in awe as the lioness just shoved her face into the back of the buffalo's neck and went at it like a mongoose on a cobra. Seconds later, and Simba was lying on the ground next to a dead buffalo carcass as Eboni rejoined the other competitors and ran off.

"The reason I don't think you should team with your mate," came a voice from above Simba, "is the same reason that you would not team with Eboni."

Simba ran that through his head, but the point that Shairi was trying to make was pretty clear.

"She's good."

"Exactly."

"You're saying that my mate's good too?"

"She's got a lot of points. And so has Elvis. The team they've already made is a formidable one. We don't need to be giving them any more points."

Simba stood up as a track worker walked up next to them and dragged the carcass away. Simba sadly watched the scene unfold, knowing that that buffalo could have, but never would have, been his.

Shairi could tell that Simba was disappointed, but she sensed an opportunity.

"Tell you what," she said, "I'll let you in on a little secret. I'll tell you three things that I've learned from the Siku Choka that have helped me kill buffalo. They're as fail proof as it can get, trust me. But if I tell you, you have to promise to be a teammate with me."

"Why would you want _me_ to be your teammate?" Simba asked. "I'm not even that good."

"You're brilliant!" Shairi retorted. "You have determination, common sense, strength, stamina, all you need is a couple of hints and a little bit more experience. That's what I'm willing to provide you with."

Simba was thinking about it. He would be a fool to pass up an opportunity like the one Shairi was providing him with. She was, after all, one of the most experienced and successful competitors in the field. Simba just didn't understand why she wanted to work with _him_ so badly.

"Why not…"

"Because either they're too good, or I don't know them that well," Shairi replied. "Trust me Simba, you're the perfect choice."

Shairi held out her paw for Simba to shake. Simba was still hesitant.

"You know you can walk out of this deal at any time," Shairi added. "It's foolish to make a promise in the Siku Choka, because it will always end up being broken. But heck, I'm willing to risk it. If you walk away, I'll be upset, but I won't be disappointed."

Those terms sounded better to Simba. He held his paw out, and Shairi shook it.

"Great," the lioness commented, beaming.

"Now, those three hints?"

"As promised," Shairi replied. "Rule number one when hunting a buffalo, always snarl loudly right before you pounce. It frightens them, causing them to run faster. When they put on that extra burst of speed, they're more prone to losing their balance, which, of course, is good for us. Rule number two: when you're on the buffalo's back, dig into its side with just _one_ set of your rear claws. Don't do both because that will cause it to buck. One set though will put it in pain, causing it to forget about putting up resistance and, instead, it just falls into your trap. Rule number three: when you bite, _never _let go," said Shairi, looking directly into Simba's eyes. It seemed she was serious about this one. "I know that sounds stupid, I know you're probably thinking 'I never let go anyways,' but the point is that it's just so important. When you bite down, don't say 'oh, that bite wasn't good enough, maybe I should try and get a better one,' no, you've got to just sink your teeth in and you don't let go until one of you is lying dead on the floor, and you've just got to pray to the gods that it's not you." Shairi's tone was grave, but, suddenly, she perked up. "Other than that, it's no big deal really."

"No big deal," sneered Simba. "Coming from someone who was killed by a buffalo two years ago."

Shairi sighed. "I wish I could tell you what I did wrong," she admitted, "but, thanks to the accident, I can't remember a _thing_ from that day. I don't even remember being introduced to the crowds. Today feels like just my fourth Siku Choka."

Simba and Shairi both turned around as they could hear footsteps fast approaching. A couple of competitors were making their way around the track.

"Oh, right," said Simba, "we've still got a game to play."

"Agreed," replied Shairi, "come on, let's get moving."

And with that, they both took off into a run.

* * *

**(A/N: Hope you all had a Merry Christmas and I wish you all a Happy New Year!)**


	12. Chapter 12

The field, in all honestly, had made a terrible strategic call. Every single competitor had either just ran a lap or fallen asleep on the frontstretch…bar one.

So, when a new antelope, zebra and buffalo were released, Guvu saw an easy thirty points for the taking. The antelope almost escaped but Guvu presided, the zebra never stood a chance, while the buffalo put up a brave fight and carried Guvu far away from the prey-release point. So when all was said and done, Guvu was far away from the desired ambushing posts…but he was thirty points richer. It had been worth it.

Peponi, Eboni, Bilauri, Nala and Tonka were all making their way up towards the prey-release point. Since the buffalo had been the last piece of prey that Guvu had brought down, it was a buffalo that the pack of lions found themselves up against first.

Tonka and Bilauri gave in, figuring that the fight would not be worth it. That left Peponi, Nala and Eboni in chase for the buffalo.

Buffalo were not Peponi's forte, but hunting in the wet was. Consequently, she was the first on the buffalo's back. Nala was second up, but she was faced with an unexpected problem. Since it had been raining, the buffalo's back was slipperier than usual. Nala lost her grip and slid off the back of the herbivore. The buffalo's hoof just caught Nala's shoulder, and the lioness wasn't helped when Eboni slipped in the mud and ran into the back of her.

Nala was knocked down onto the ground, but she was perfectly conscious and healthy. However, her injured shoulder wasn't going to do her much good anytime soon.

Peponi, now unchallenged, succeeded in bringing the buffalo down.

Nala and Eboni made their way back to the outside of the track, lining back up in ambush.

"Pride nearby?" asked Eboni.

"Not too far," Nala replied. "I'm considering taking a quick nap in front of them. Hopefully that should help nurse this wound."

Eboni nodded in agreement. "I had a twisted paw earlier. Slept for twenty minutes and it was fine. Wonders, what sleep can do."

Nala had heard all she needed to hear. Sleep was the best option for now. However, she had to wait for her pillow to come and help her out.

Peponi, meanwhile, had gotten up from her buffalo kill and was now after the zebra and antelope. A bunch of the competitors were falling asleep again and so there was nobody around to challenge her. Thus, the zebra was an easy picking…but the antelope ran away. The antelope passed the point at which Peponi's pride was watching on the hills, and Peponi gave up the chase. Sleep sounded like a great idea right now, and in front of her pride was the best place to do it. The antelope would be able to enjoy life for a few more minutes.

Tonka had brought down the new zebra when it had been released and now he was off to sleep in front of his home pride too.

Meanwhile, Bilauri was in front of her home pride, but sleep was the last thing on her mind.

"Are you sure?" she asked one of her fellow pride-mates, who had been watching the event from the stands.

"Yes Bilauri, three teams of two. Elvis and Nala, Shemshi and Winda, Simba and Shairi."

"Winda and Shemshi have a history of working together."

"Yes, they're very good at it."

"They're going to need a third member if they want to play tic-tac-toe or box-and-bundle. I've got to try and become part of it."

"That's why I told you. Here they come now, try and see if you can stop them."

Indeed, Winda, Simba, Shemshi and Shairi were all now making their way out of the final turn. The two sisters were leading the chase, and so Shemshi and Simba both knew that they were out of luck as far as the zebra was concerned. So, Shemshi gave in and made his way over to line up in ambush…right next to Bilauri.

"Excuse me, Shemshi," Bilauri addressed, cautiously making her way up to him. "Hey, eh, I heard that you and Winda were thinking of forming a team and…well…I know that Siku Choka teams usually work best in groups of three so, eh, just…putting it out there that I'd be willing to be part of your team, if that is okay with you and Winda."

Shemshi smiled as a response. "It's fine with me," he replied, "I'll have to ask Winda how she feels though."

Bilauri could have breathed a sigh of relief. She was in with a shot! "Thanks so much," she replied, delighted.

Shemshi and Bilauri both turned around in time to watch Winda snag another set of ten points away from her sister as she brought the zebra down to the ground. Meanwhile, Simba ran on by them both and gave chase to the buffalo.

Nala was watching from the sidelines, shaking her head.

"Please don't do this, Simba," she groaned.

Simba was right on the buffalo's hind legs. He snarled. The buffalo got scared, and began to run faster. Consequently, his rear leg slipped on the mud and he stumbled. Simba sensed an opportunity and he pounced up onto the buffalo's back. The buffalo arched his back and began to run faster, trying everything that he could think of to make Simba's job harder. Simba reached out his right rear leg and ejected his claws, then jammed them into the side of the buffalo like daggers. The buffalo was in pain. It lost the arch in its back and began to slow down. Simba took advantage and pulled himself farther up onto the buffalo's back. He opened his jaw and clamped it down shut on the buffalo's neck. It was a perfect shot, and Simba's teeth were only sinking in deeper as the buffalo continued to put up a fight. Eventually, however, the buffalo succumbed to the struggle, and it collapsed down onto the ground, giving Simba ten points.

Nala was dumbfounded, and evidently so. Simba couldn't help but laugh at her expression as he made his way over to where his injured mate was lying out in front of their home pride.

"How did you do that?" she asked. "That was amazing."

"Sorry," replied Simba, lying down next to his mate, "but that information is classified."

"I hate to tell you this, Simba, but I got injured again."

"I see that," Simba stated. Nala's bleeding shoulder wasn't exactly an easy sight to avoid.

"Mind if I use you as a pillow again?"

"Think it will be a strategic advantage?" Simba asked back. "I mean, Eboni, Shemshi and Guvu are probably going to try and stay awake."

"They will," Nala admitted, "but they won't get that many points. The prey's spread out, they're worn out, _and_ it's still raining. We won't be losing out too much."

Simba yawned. "Sounds good," he said, lying his head down. "Night Nala."

"Night Simba," came the reply, as Nala rested her head down on top of his.

* * *

_His teeth were sunken far down into the buffalo's neck, but yet the buffalo continued to buck. She, meanwhile, was watching from the sidelines, completely bewildered. Why was he not letting go? She tried to shout, but no words came out. She crossed her toes, knowing, deep-down, that only a miracle could save the one she loved so, now._

_ Finally, the buffalo threw her mate over the top of his head and slammed him down onto the ground. She tried to close her eyes, but she couldn't. She could only watch on in terror as the herbivore smashed his hooves into her one love's skull, and her mate's limp, blood-battered body got tossed and turned around in the air._

Nala screamed, waking herself and Simba both up.

"Nala, hun, you okay?" Simba asked.

Nala was breathing heavily, but she nodded. Then, she turned her head and looked at her mate. His eyes, his face, his mane, his features…_hers._

Nala reached out her paws and pulled Simba forwards towards her, kissing him on the lips.

"Simba," she whined, "I just had a bad dream that something terrible happened to you…"

"Hey, it's alright," her husband replied, wrapping his arm around her back and rubbing her soothingly, "I'm okay. We're both here."

"What if it's an omen? What if it's a sign of bad things to come?"

"Hey," Simba replied soothingly, trying to calm his mate down. "It's alright. I had a bad dream that Zazu was dancing without any feathers on. You think that's going to happen too?"

Nala blinked. "Simba, why were you dreaming of a dancing, naked Zazu?"

"I don't know, but that's not the point Nala. Point is that I'm sure it's going to be fine. I know what I'm doing, I've got a good tutor, and I'm going to be sensible about it. We're going to be okay, trust me."

Nala sighed and looked down at the ground. "No one's died yet, Simba," she added, "eventually there's going to be a first."

"Too late, I'm afraid," replied Eboni, standing next to them.

Simba and Nala both gasped. They turned around and looked at Eboni's grave face.

"Peponi's gone."

* * *

Nobody knew how Peponi had died. Story was that Juveda had been the only other competitor awake at the time, but nobody was in a hurry to ask her how. Mind you, Lenny tried…

"Hi, don't think I've met you before, my name's Lenny, yours is Juveda, isn't it? Say, you're the lioness who was awake when Peponi was killed. You don't know what happened, do you? I mean, it would be nice to know considering I don't want to be killed. I like to know what kind of mistakes the other lions are making. Shame about Peponi's death really. Never really knew her that well though. We never got to talk like this. This is an interesting conversation we're having, isn't it?"

Juveda just groaned and walked away, trying to get as far away from Lenny as possible.

The rains had stopped now and virtually all of the competitors were back up. The crowds were returning as well.

It was deep into the night now, and, now that the conditions were better, time for some points to be scored.

Up on the hilltop, Sarafina and Tumaini were still sharing their antelope carcass with each other. Tumaini took another chunk out of the carcass.

"You know," Sarafina said, "I think the track worker said it was Juveda who killed this antelope."

Tumaini finished chewing on the chunk that she had just ripped off. She swallowed it. "So?"

"I dunno, just putting it out there." Sarafina looked back out across the track. She looked over towards where her daughter was, and then over towards where Juveda was. "I hope she didn't kill her," she added, "I don't want my daughter to be out there with a murderer."

Tumaini looked disgusted. "You think Juveda killed Peponi?"

"Well, she doesn't seem like the nicest lion in the world."

"Juveda's no murderer, Sarafina," Tumaini replied, chewing on another piece of the carcass. "She is just very aloof and misunderstood, that's all. Not the most social of creatures. I know because I rested at her pride on my way down here. Took me six days to get here, you know. Her pride, well, let's just put it this way. They all slept in the same den…yet she slept about two miles away in a cave all to herself. Never really got to talk to her much." Tumaini finished chewing, and she swallowed down her second piece of carcass. "Juveda's not a very nice lion," she told Sarafina, with a hint of seriousness in her voice, "but she's no murderer, Sarafina."

* * *

The field had been getting busy, but none more so than Eboni who was now up to 169 points.

Nala finished up her chase on the antelope and lined back up in ambush next to her mate.

"So, Shairi's your teammate now, huh?"

"Elvis is yours. You can't complain."

"No I can't, but you seem to be forgetting one thing."

"What's that?"

"Teams in the Siku Choka usually consist of three lions, not two."

"Aw, someone's going to have to get in between you and Elvis then."

"Course I could always make it a male. Then I get to choose."

"Who you going to make it then? Guvu, Lenny, Tonka?"

"Not Guvu, that's for sure. Just checked a minute ago, he has 146 points now. He's catching Eboni up."

"So Shairi and I have got to try and get Tonka first."

"Well you could always pick a female. You've got Eboni, but she's too good, and Juveda, but she's…well…yes, I guess you're going to have to try and beat us to Tonka."

"Well why don't _we_ just work together?" Simba interjected. "I mean, what _is_ with all this nonsense about working with lions that we don't even know?"

Nala smiled as a response. "Because if we don't know them, we don't know what they know. They can teach us things, such as I believe Shairi taught you how to kill a buffalo."

"She did, but now I could always share it with you."

"I think you've got more to learn from her," Nala replied. "I think I've still got more to learn from Elvis. Tell you what, let's team up in the final hour. We'll make it a Pridelands 1-2. If that happens, I could care less who wins it."

"Sounds great," Simba replied, holding his paw out. "Shake on it?"

Nala chuckled. "Simba," she said, "you shook on that when you married me."

* * *

Eboni was leading and Guvu was second, but the battle for third was tightening up with Juveda on 127 points and Shemshi on 124.

A buffalo ran on by Shemshi and he gave chase. In doing so, he crossed the starting line and his total went up to 125. Elvis joined in on the chase but Shemshi was already hogging the buffalo's back. He pounced up on top of it. Elvis attacked from the side, throwing the buffalo off balance and causing Shemshi to lose his footing. Consequently, Shemshi fell off the buffalo and landed on top of Elvis, causing them to both collapse onto the ground.

The buffalo had been badly wounded by the two, and it was now bucking as it ran its way from side to side over the course, trying his best to scare all the lions away.

Simba and Nala were the next two lions in ambush. They were both cowered back, trying to ensure that the buffalo's attention didn't get drawn towards them.

"Nala, we've got to kill that buffalo."

Nala knew he was right, but she couldn't help but remain silent. The buffalo hadn't ran on by them yet, and any noise would draw the buffalo's attention towards them. She was praying to the gods that it wouldn't come running their way. This was how lions lost their lives in the Siku Choka…

Finally, the buffalo picked up the pace and ran past them.

"Move on out!" exclaimed Nala.

Simba and Nala both began running. Elvis came running up alongside them too, joining in the chase.

"I wounded this thing, folks, it's my solemn duty to stop it."

"Box and bundle," Nala said back to them. Nala stopped running and looked over at the rest of the lions lined up in ambush. "Come on!" she shouted. "We need as many lions to bundle as we can!"

Nala began moving again, and caught Elvis and Simba back up. Lenny, Shairi and Tonka were now with them too.

'Box and Bundle' was a commonly used strategy during the Siku Choka upon which one competitor would run out in front of the prey and then slow right down. The prey would then slow down too, for fear that making any move to pass the lion would result in their instant death. However, while that slow lion was boxing the prey behind them, the rest of the team would run up from behind and attack the prey off-guard, allowing them to score an easy set of ten points.

"I'll box!" exclaimed Lenny, knowing that he wasn't really that handy when it came to doing the actual killing of buffalos.

Lenny ran out in front of the bucking buffalo and checked over his shoulder. He could tell that the buffalo was close behind him, but not so close as to pose a threat to Lenny's life. Lenny slowed down, and the other five lions moved in.

Simba and Tonka grabbed the rear flanks while Nala jumped up on the buffalo's rump and dragged it down. Shairi and Elvis both jumped up on the buffalo's back, both attempting to kill it at the same time. Consequently, their heads slammed into each other, causing Shairi to fall to the ground while Elvis dug his teeth into the back of the buffalo's neck and killed it.

Sure, Elvis had got the ten points, but the important thing was that the wild beast was dead.

"Sorry about that incident, Shairi," Elvis called.

"That's alright," replied Shairi, rubbing a sore spot on her head, "we both just went for it at the same time. It's dead now, that's what matters."

"It _is?" _asked Lenny, enthusiastically. "Hey, well done guys! I was scared there for a minute, that's for sure. Didn't know where it was going to go."

"You did great too, Lenny," said Tonka, getting back up on his feet, "a fine team player, to box like that."

Simba and Nala quickly exchanged glances. They read each other's minds. They were now competitors…

"Tonka, want to be on mine and Shairi's team?" Simba asked hastily, before Nala could.

Tonka…and Shairi…were both caught a bit off-guard by Simba's proposition, but he smiled nonetheless.

"I'd be a fool to pass on such a proposition," the lion replied. "Sure, why not?"

Simba turned back to face his mate, with a smug look on his face. Nala ignored it.

"Lenny, you'd like to be on mine and Elvis's?" she asked.

_"Would I?" _Lenny responded, merrily. "Ha! I never thought anyone would ever ask! Of course I will! Ha ha! I'm on a team!" he cheered, beginning a run around the circuit.

"So, eh, we're going to team up with _him?" _Elvis asked, not having discussed the situation with Nala before.

"Why not?" Nala replied. "He's proven that he's a great team worker and, though I hate to say it," she added, lowering her voice, "he's not very good at scoring points." She raised her voice back up and continued. "So, he'll never really be a threat to us for the win."

"Uh-huh-huh, I see where you're coming from now Ma'am. Well, I'm up for giving everyone a fair shot. We'll see how we stack up against the other teams."

"Indeed we will," replied Nala, smiling across towards where Simba, Shairi, and Tonka stood. "You guys better beware," she added, "there's a storm a-coming."

* * *

Bilauri had begun a chase and now she was on the hind heels of the antelope andthe zebra. The antelope slipped on the mud, which was still quite wet, and gave Bilauri everything she needed in order to score another set of ten points. The zebra, meanwhile, continued to run, and was soon brought down by Shemshi for a set of ten. Shemshi lined back up in ambush alongside Juveda.

"Handy that all those lions ran after that buffalo," Shemshi said aloud, "moves us all up to first in ambush."

"You think I don't bloody well see that?" Juveda snapped back. "Why do you have to tell me where all the lions went? I've got two good eyes, they can see where those lions are. I don't need to you to be distracting me, alright? Be gone with you!"

Shemshi looked away from her. "Geez," he muttered to himself, "alright, you old croon."

_"What did you call me?"_

"Eh…"

"You old croon, eh? Yeah, since this ugly looking lioness has her heart in a game so much that she doesn't like being distracted, that gives me the right to insult her because she doesn't have any feelings. Is that you're way of thinking, hey?"

"No, not at all, Ma'am."

Juveda frowned. She could tell that Shemshi had just turned on the defensive. "Good," she replied, "it better not be."

Shemshi continued to shake his head. "Nope," he confirmed, "n—nope, not at all."

Juveda was glaring deep into Shemshi's eyes. Shemshi could only stare right back.

_Gods, her face is scary._

Juveda's eyes were still narrowed, but she returned them to where her focus had been originally: on the new prey that were now making their way down the course.

As the lame buffalo was being killed, Guvu had lined up in waiting at the prey-release point. So, when the new buffalo had been released, it had quickly became his. Now, three new pieces of prey had just been released, and so Guvu lied in wait.

He let the antelope go by, the zebra go by, and then the buffalo. Then, he gave chase.

Guvu soon had the buffalo down on the ground, and he would be able to line back up in ambush. However, the zebra and the antelope were still in a panic, and so they continued to run. Ten lions were lined up in ambush, waiting for them.

Winda, Bilauri and Eboni were the first to give chase, with Juveda and Shemshi not too far behind them. Winda closed in on the zebra's hind heels, but then stumbled as she lost her footing in a puddle. Eboni pulled out to lead the chase. They had wasted too much time and track though, and the other five competitors joined in.

Eboni was leading with Nala second in line as they ran on through the turn. As the track straightened back out, a couple of the mid-pack lions put on a burst of speed and the two pieces of prey fell into their clutches.

The antelope had gone to Bilauri while the zebra had gone to Juveda. The other eight lions continued to run.

* * *

The only two lions that had not been a part of the pack were Guvu, who had been waiting on ambush for the new buffalo, and Lenny, who had been so excited about being on a team that he had ran a full lap around the course which, ironically enough, was not going to help his team out a whole lot.

Guvu got the new buffalo down and the crowd cheered as they knew what it now meant.

Guvu: 177; Eboni: 169.

"What's the record?" Tumaini asked Sarafina, watching the pack run on down the backstretch.

"407. Kahawia. Siku Choka 2. There were only 6 lions in it and it was a really tiny circuit so it was easy for them all to score points."

Tumaini scoffed. "Six lions? Who the heck would want to watch _that?"_

"Well they were six _legends. _I mean, if I said Uku, Guvu, Juni, you, Eboni and Winda were all going to do a Siku Choka together. I mean, I'd still come watch."

"You poor soul."

"I know."

"Thank goodness there are some average Joe's out there," said Tumaini, "it makes it a bit more interesting. I mean, if they were all running in that pack, those three new pieces of prey would get to do a whole lap before anyone killed them."

"But there's Lenny," Sarafina reasoned.

Tumaini nodded in agreement. "But there's Lenny."

* * *

The prey had all walked far away from the prey-release point. Therefore, it would be undesirable to chase after the prey right now because, by the time you caught them, you would not be in the optimal position for ambushing.

Of course, as Sarafina and Tumaini had figured, Lenny didn't know that.

He ran on by the release-point and charged the zebra down. The antelope ran away while the buffalo was ambushed by Guvu. A new buffalo and zebra were released for the other ten lions.

As they came running through the final turn, Tonka slipped in a blind puddle and fell over in the mud.

Shairi groaned. "Simba, if you want to start this team now, we're going to have to wait for Tonka at the prey-release-point. We need to play tic-tac-toe."

"Sounds good," the lion king replied.

Elvis ran up alongside Nala.

"So what should we do about Lenny?" he asked. "You think we should go after him?"

"I'm still thinking," Nala replied. "If we can get the prey to spread out around the track, then we might as well catch up with him. We can play box-and-bundle, if that's the case."

And Shemshi ran up alongside Winda.

"Bilauri wants to be on our team, Winda," he said. "She seems to have the smarts for this game, she could be very useful to us."

"Alright," Winda replied, "let's wait for her at the prey-release point then."

The only three lions that weren't in a team were Guvu and Eboni, who were both dominating, and Juveda, who nobody wanted to be in a team with either…but for different reasons.

Nala and Elvis ran on by the prey-release point and went to catch up with Lenny, while the rest of the lions tried to line up as early in ambush as they could.

Simba looked back up the track, waiting for Tonka to come running around the corner.

"Come on Tonka, buddy, you're taking too long."

"So why'd you invite him?" Shairi asked.

Simba didn't really know how to respond to this. He'd just thought that it'd been the right thing to do.

"Well…don't Siku Choka teams usually work best in groups of three?"

"They do, but it was never really a team I had in mind. I just thought it would be nice if I helped you and you helped me."

Simba couldn't help but laugh. "How could _I _help _you?" _he asked. "I mean, you've been in four Siku Chokas, this is my first."

Shairi smiled back. "You travelled through a burning desert, through your destroyed home and defeated your deceiving uncle in order to take your rightful place as king, upon which you raised a healthy, happy family and ruled over lands lush enough to host two separate Siku Chokas. I admire you, Simba. You're much more than you think you are."

Finally, Tonka ran up and joined the group. "So what's the plan, guys?" he asked. "Looks like Elvis's team is about to get the buffalo."

Simba and Shairi looked over to see Elvis and Nala running on the hind heels of the buffalo. Lenny had used up so much track in chasing the zebra earlier, that he was still far ahead of them. However, Shairi could tell what they were doing.

"If they bring the buffalo down together, they take ten points away from Guvu," she said, looking at the two-time champion who was still lined up in ambush. "Guvu won't go after the zebra. He doesn't like wasting his energy on those things. It'll be Lenny's for the taking."

"So how does that affect us?"

"We don't go for the buffalo when it is released," Shairi replied. "Let's play tic-tac-toe, but zebra only. Antelope and buffalo use up too much track."

Simba and Tonka nodded in agreement.

Tic-tac-toe was the most popular of Siku Choka strategies. It was just like ambushing, except, instead of one lion doing it, it was now three. When it was every competitor for himself, every now and then he would get the fortune of being the first lion in ambush. When he chased, he would use up track during the chase and may end up being fourth, fifth or even tenth in ambush. But, in a team of three, you could wait in ambush, chase, and, if you lined back up in fourth or fifth, you would do so with the knowledge that half the lions in front of you were your teammates. If you lined up in tenth, you could run a lap around the track and your teammates would stay in their spots, holding an ambushing post just for you for when you returned. Basically, tic-tac-toe gave each team a sense of track ownership: being the first three lions in ambush meant that every other competitor that wasn't in your team, such as Guvu or Eboni, would now be finding it more difficult to score points.

Meanwhile, Elvis and Nala, as Shairi had guessed, were both trying to get the buffalo down. They both jumped up on its back at the same time and both dug their teeth into its neck. The buffalo came down to the ground, and Elvis and Nala remained lying on top of it with their teeth sunken in until it stopped breathing. Now sure that it was dead, they ran over to the side of the track to see Lenny, knowing they could now discuss their plans.

"Who got the points?" Lenny asked.

Nala and Elvis both turned around. A group of track workers had huddled around the buffalo, checking to see which of the two competitors had delivered the fatal bite. After some quick deliberation, a leopard stood up from the kill and pointed over towards Nala.

"Yes!" exclaimed Nala, fist-pumping the air.

"Well congratulations there, Ma'am," said Elvis, not at all disappointed that he had missed out on ten points. At least it had been one for the team.

"Thank you very much," Nala joked back in a deep voice. "So, where do you two want to begin?"

"I thought you were the strategist," Lenny replied.

"I could be, but you two have experience. Surely you both know a bit more than me."

"Well ah know Guvu enough to know that he's not going to go after the buffalo," Elvis reasoned. "So if we chase around the track, we've got an antelope and a zebra for the taking. Guvu's the only one after us and he let them both by."

Nala agreed with every word that Elvis was saying, but then she realized another variable that could help their plan.

"Let's walk," she suggested. "Let's just follow them, the whole lap around. We're all a bit tired now because we've been running a lot. If we just stalk the antelope and zebra, then they're bound to be ours. The rest of the field can only go after buffalo until we kill these two other pieces."

"Then we don't have to run as far once we do kill them to get to the prey-release point," added Elvis.

"Exactly."

"But won't we be wasting a lot of time?" Lenny questioned.

Nala shrugged as a response. "If we have control over the zebra and the antelope, the rest of the field can only kill buffalo. They're not going to be getting a whole lot of points by doing that."

"So you're saying that conserving energy while killing time is better than wasting energy while saving time?" Elvis asked.

"The tortoise beat the hare," Nala replied. "If we killed these two pieces of prey here and ran around a whole lap, we'd save time, yes, but we'd lose it later by having to sleep longer. Also, the rest of the field would be killing zebra and antelope while we were running. Trust me, it's best to just stalk them for now."

"Ah trust you," said Elvis.

"Me too!" Lenny chimed in.

Nala smiled.

"Come on then," she said, "let's walk."

* * *

"Uh oh."

"What Bilauri?"

"They're not going to kill the antelope or zebra."

The group of three was distracted as the crowd cheered. Eboni had just beat Juveda in a chase for the buffalo.

"What makes you think that?" asked Winda.

"If they kill it now, they'll have to run all the way around the track while we get to go on a killing spree. But, by letting the antelope and zebra live, they get to conserve their energy while we can only hunt buffalo," Bilauri reasoned, signaling over towards the new buffalo being released.

Shemshi smiled and looked at Winda.

"See, I told you she had the smarts for this game."

"So…what's your solution?" Winda asked. "We just hunt buffalo?"

"No," Bilauri replied. "One of us needs to run a lap around the track and try to kill the antelope and zebra. Our team will stay here and wait for you. But, by going out and killing those two pieces of prey, we would ruin the other team's strategy."

"Huh…you _are_ smart," admitted Winda.

"So how do we pick which one runs the lap?" Shemshi asked.

* * *

"Rock, paper, scissors, shoot!"

"Rock, paper, scissors, shoot!"

"Rock, paper, scissors, shoot!"

"Ah, you win Winda."

Winda smiled. "Great," she replied. She looked on down the track. "20 points, here I come."

* * *

Nala, Elvis and Lenny had now entered the first turn. Nala and Elvis had been lost in conversation while Lenny had just been listening in. They had a safe distance between themselves and the two pieces of prey. They didn't to startle them and send them off into an early run.

Lenny thought he could hear cheering. He looked over his shoulder and his eyes grew.

"Hey, uh, guys…does this change anything?"

Nala and Elvis looked over their shoulders too. Winda was running as fast as the wind could carry her, and she was now closing in on the group of three.

"Yup," Nala replied. "Yup, that…that changes a lot."

Nala didn't need to say anything else. The team of three turned back around and began running after the zebra and the antelope.

"Zebra first," Nala called to her team, "what say _you_ box for the zebra Lenny, and I'll box for the antelope?"

"Sounds good," replied the lion.

Winda had now joined the group. She was running right on their hind heels as they made their way through the turn. Lenny ran out in front of the zebra. As soon as he realized that he was a full body-length in front of it, he began to slow up. The zebra began to slow up too, and the three lions from behind it closed in.

It was only a zebra. Shoving would be allowed.

Nala was first up and so Elvis, believing it would be in the spirit of the team, backed off. Winda took the opportunity to run on by him and jump onto the back of the zebra herself. In doing so, she was able to cause Nala to lose her balance and fall off. Winda bit down onto the back of the zebra's neck and the zebra began its permanent descent to the ground. Winda took the ten points.

Lenny and Elvis stopped running to take a look at all the commotion.

"Come on Lenny, Elvis, you guys have got to keep running!" Nala exclaimed. She and Winda quickly got themselves back onto their feet and joined in the chase.

* * *

Eboni was bringing her buffalo chase to a conclusion on the frontstretch, but she hadn't put herself in the most comfortable of positions on the buffalo's back. The buffalo didn't find it that comfortable either, and so he began to buck.

Eboni realized that her life was worth more than this set of ten points, and so, when the buffalo was coming down from one buck and setting up for another, Eboni let go and splashed into the wet mud below.

The buffalo ran away but didn't live for too much longer before Guvu added another ten to his tally.

"Story of the day," said Sarafina from the grandstands, "Eboni pulls out an early lead, Guvu takes it from her."

Tumaini glared at her.

"What?" asked Sarafina.

"Story of the day," Tumaini corrected, "Tumaini takes an early lead, then gets injured. _Then_ Eboni and Guvu take it from her."

Sarafina smiled. "Of course," she replied.

* * *

A new zebra and buffalo had been released, now that Winda and Guvu had made their kills.

Bilauri and Shemshi let it go on by them, remaining true to their promise that they would wait for Winda.

So, it was time for the Shairi-Simba-Tonka team to move into action.

"Tonka, you want this one?" Shairi asked.

"Sure," Tonka replied, "but why me?"

"Simba and I are watching our relatives hunt on the backstretch."

* * *

Nala, being a faster runner than Lenny and Elvis, had ran on by her teammates and was now making her way by the antelope. It was time for her to box.

She moved across in front of the antelope and began to slow down. The antelope slowed down too and Lenny jumped up onto its back.

Elvis backed off again, but Winda didn't. Winda ran on by Lenny and the antelope and attacked the prey from underneath its neck.

The antelope yelped and soon collapsed to the floor, with it and Lenny crashing down on top of the lioness.

Winda was ten points richer again, but had it been worth it?

Nala, Lenny and Elvis moved over to have a look at her.

"Winda," Lenny called, "you okay?"

"Oh gods," croaked Winda, lifting her head up from out of the mud. It sounded like she was trying to hold back tears. "Please get this antelope off of me," she called.

Evidently, she was in pain, so Elvis, Lenny and Nala didn't hesitate to help move the antelope.

"Is there anything else you…?" Lenny began, but Elvis interrupted.

"Lenny, my friend. It's nice of you to mean well but ah believe this girl's going to be okay. We need to get ourselves back over to the frontstretch."

Nala groaned. "I hate to say this Lenny, but Elvis is right. You going to be okay, Winda?"

Winda whimpered but she nodded her head. "Thanks," she replied.

A cheer interrupted their conversation as Tonka brought the zebra down on the frontstretch.

"Let's get going," said Nala.

* * *

Shairi breathed a sigh of relief. It was clear to her, now, that her sister was okay. "I swear," she said, "my heart skips a beat every time I watch Winda hunt." She looked up at Simba. "Is it the same way with you and Nala?" she asked.

Simba shrugged. "I have confidence in her," he replied. "She's a great huntress. If I were you, I'd be a little more confident about Winda too. I mean, look how good she's got."

"Oh, I know," Shairi replied. "But…well…she may be one tough cookie on a hunt, but as soon as something goes wrong and she gets injured, well, she can lose herself a little bit. That's why I feel it's my duty, as her older sister, to kind of…stop that happening."

"Eh, Nala can hold her composure pretty well. Not a big deal for me, really."

Shairi smiled and shook her head. "I don't know how you do it, Simba," she said. "You know, hardly any of us are married out here. Eboni, you, Nala, Tonka…yeah, I think that's it. And maybe Elvis, I'm not sure on him. I think he's married but I can't remember her name."

"Oh," Simba replied, "I'm sure Marie's the Name."

* * *

Juveda had brought the buffalo down, and so three new pieces of prey were released. The antelope was first, followed by the zebra and then the buffalo.

"Do we stick to the plan?" asked Shemshi, watching as Winda sluggishly got herself back up onto her feet. "She might be a while."

Bilauri sighed. "I guess we have to," she replied. "As long as we stay here, our team will still be first in ambush. It would help if Winda picked it up a bit though."

"Hey, she's probably hurt. I'm sure it's not easy to run after an antelope has fallen on you."

"Perhaps she should have thought about that _before_ she decided to attack _under_ the antelope's neck," Bilauri sneered.

Shemshi cocked his head. "Are you sure you're not related to Juveda?"

"I hope I don't sound like that," Bilauri replied. "Sorry if I'm coming across as a bit harsh. I just thought it was a foolish move."

"Eh, that's alright," said Shemshi, watching the three new pieces of prey walk on by them. "I'm probably being a bit defensive of her. She's a close friend of mine, is all."

The three pieces of prey had now left the vicinity of Bilauri and Shemshi's team and were now making their way on by Shairi and Simba.

"Zebra's yours," Shairi said to him. "Try and finish the chase before you get to Tonka."

"Well you want to chase the antelope too?" Simba asked back. "I mean, there's two pieces of prey here that aren't buffalo. One more me and one for you."

"I—" Shairi began, but then she stopped.

_ "So you want to just have both of us run, and one of us get the buffalo and then have the other charge down the zebra?"_

_ "It's the advantage of having two pieces of prey right there. _One for me and one for you."

Simba blinked. Shairi's expression was blank. It was like she had gone off to a different world.

"Shairi?" he called. "Earth to Shairi."

Shairi shook herself out of it. "No, its fine," she replied. "Just go for the zebra. I'll get the next zebra down when it gets released."

Simba shrugged. "If you insist," he said. "See you in a minute."

And with that, Simba took off in a run for the zebra.

Shairi, meanwhile, was having difficulty thinking clearly.

What on Earth had just happened?


	13. Chapter 13

**(A/N: Glad to see that people are still reading this despite Tumaini being out of it. Caution: this chapter starts off rather silly. But, we had Grand Gopher's Glorious Tooth Floss in the first Siku Choka, so why not add some silliness to this one too? Would like more reviews, as always, so, at the end of this chapter: tell me your score! Don't know what I'm talking about? Don't worry...you'll see...**

**(A/N #2: Saw "Ice Age 4" not too long ago. Give yourself a pat on the back if the saber-tooth tigress, Shira, reminded you of the name "Shairi." Shira is Hebrew for 'poetry,' while Shairi is Swahili for 'poem.' Oh and, by the way FOX, I thought of the name Shairi first.)**

* * *

"What are you gents playing?"

"Tic-tac-toe, Zazu," Pumbaa replied.

"But you're not in the Siku Choka."

"No, the _real_ tic-tac-toe. You know, noughts and crosses."

"Oh, I see." Zazu looked down at the grids that Timon and Pumbaa had been drawing in the mud. "Who's won the most?"

"Well so far we've played 17 games…and they've all been tied. But maybe the eighteenth will be different."

"Well perhaps Kiara wants to play?" Zazu suggested. "You are supposed to be babysitting her after all."

"Alrighty, bring her over then," said Timon.

Kiara laughed happily as she looked down at the grid. She didn't know how to play, but she drew a zero in the middle.

"Hmm…" said Timon, drawing an x in the corner.

Kiara drew a zero.

Timon drew a cross.

Kiara drew a zero.

"What the –?"

Timon drew another cross.

Kiara drew a zero.

"Howzat—she won!" exclaimed Timon in disbelief.

"Aw, how nice to let the little tot win Timon," Pumbaa commended.

"I—I didn't…"

"Anyhow," Zazu interrupted, "shouldn't we all be watching the game? Tonka and Juveda are lined up in ambush. They're our picks, remember?"

"Yeah, but Simba and Shairi are lined up before them," Timon replied. "They're ruining it for us. If they weren't there, all three pieces would go to Juveda and Tonka."

"Let's distract them!" Pumbaa suggested. "If we can distract Simba and Shairi, then Tonka and Juveda will get all the points!"

"That could work, gents," Zazu agreed. "Timon, do you still have that old hula skirt?"

"No," Timon replied, waving the suggestion off, "besides, we're going to need a _much_ better distraction than that…"

* * *

Simba was slowly homing in on the zebra as he stalked it from behind. The crowd was being quiet so as to not distract him. Simba knew that, if he timed it right, this zebra would be his and he could line back up in ambush with Tonka.

He was just about to make his move, when a peach blur flew down in front of him, and began doing a little dance.

_"My milkshake brings all the boys to the yard!_

_ "And their like, is better than yours!_

_ "Damn right, it's better than yours!_

_ "I could teach you, but I'd have to charge…"_

Simba stopped stalking and his jaw just dropped. Shairi was distracted too, and the buffalo, zebra and antelope all walked away from them.

Nala had been running with Lenny and Elvis out of the final turn when she finally caught sight of what was going on. She stopped dead in her tracks. Elvis did too, but only out of concern for Nala.

"Is everything okay Ma'am?" he asked.

"A dancing, naked Zazu," Nala whispered, "it's an omen…"

Meanwhile, Zazu lifted up his wing and saluted Simba before he flew off.

"Long story sir, I'll have time to explain after the game."

And with that, the featherless bird was gone.

* * *

The prey eventually made its way down to Tonka, who, in team spirit, simply ambushed the zebra and then lined back up on the side of the track. The antelope was startled by all the commotion and took off into a run, soon becoming an easy set of ten points for Juveda.

Nala, Lenny and Elvis had all finished running their lap, and they lined up in front of Bilauri and Shemshi in ambush. Meanwhile, Winda was still limping her way around the final turn.

Bilauri sighed. "We don't have control of the track anymore, Shemshi. Seriously, I think we're wasting too much time waiting for Winda."

"She's coming, Bilauri. Seriously, give her a chance. She's not going backwards out there."

Bilauri groaned. "Every second that passes is another chance of mine she's passing up," she moaned.

Shemshi chose not to reply.

Bilauri sighed and looked around, trying to find something to separate her from her frustration.

_"I've seen lions get killed, some dreams get grilled, and corpses stinking up the place."_

Shemshi joined in.

_"I've had mud stuck in my fur, injuries I can't cure, and I've broke down when I got second place."_

A couple of audience members joined in.

_"And although I come here year to year, and all the time I see lions shed a tear…"_

And more…

_"There still remains one thing that just ain't clear, and that's why the hell does the crowd always cheer?_

_ "It's the Siku Choka, and if it don't croak ya, there's not anything that will,_

_ "So may that violence be gory, and that victory glory, but as you set yourself up for the kill,_

_ "You've got to understand, that it ain't easy, and if you take one down and survive,_

_ "You'd better thank your lucky stars, that you're still alive, to take another dive…into the Siku Choka!"_

By the time they'd finished, the entire crowd had joined in with the song, and Winda had caught up with Bilauri and Shemshi.

"Hey guys, thanks for waiting."

"Ready to hunt?" Bilauri asked back.

Winda smiled back. "It's in my name."

* * *

The buffalo had walked far away from the prey-release point now, and it was inevitable that eventually he would pass Juveda and Eboni and a chase would start up between them.

But, before that could happen, the rest of the competitors, bar Guvu and Tonka, were all lined up at the prey-release point, discussing how they should go about getting the antelope and zebra down.

Nala, Lenny and Elvis's team were the first in ambush.

"Lenny," Nala called, "are you up for a run?"

"Sure!"

"Okay, start hunting the zebra," she explained, "but if someone joins in, don't waste time. Try and go for the antelope instead. If the antelope runs on by Tonka, give in and wait for us. Okay?"

"Hunt zebra unless someone else does, hunt antelope until it passes Tonka, got it!"

"You sure?" asked Elvis.

"Yes Elvis, he's got it," Nala reassured him.

"Alright, ah guess you should get going then Lenny."

Lenny did so.

Winda, Shemshi and Bilauri were the next group. Bilauri could tell that the first group had selected Lenny as their pick to chase.

"He might go for either," Bilauri said. She checked back on down the track. "The buffalo will be down soon. Shemshi, you're good at hunting those. Winda, you need to rest for a bit. So I'll go for the prey now. Shemshi, you go for the buffalo when it comes up. Winda, you go for whatever comes after."

Bilauri moved on out and began stalking alongside Lenny.

Winda and Shemshi exchanged glances.

"When did she become team leader?" Winda asked.

Shemshi shrugged. "If she scores us points, I'm fine with it."

Shairi and Simba, who were the next two in ambush, were now separated as Simba had began stalking a zebra earlier until he had been distracted by Zazu's naked dance. However, they had already discussed their plans. So, when Shairi moved on out, Simba knew he would have to wait until the next zebra for his next set of ten.

Meanwhile, the buffalo had finally passed on by Eboni and Juveda.

Juveda had begun her charge sooner than Eboni had, and now she was reaping the benefits. She was first up on the buffalo's back, but it had been an awkward landing. Juveda wasn't entirely balanced on the buffalo's back, but Eboni wasn't exactly in the mood to be sympathetic to her. She had just lost out on the lead of this game to Guvu and, also, it _was_ Juveda.

Eboni jumped up on the buffalo's back too, which caused Juveda to lose even more balance. Eboni bit down while Juveda fell off and got hit by the rear hooves of the buffalo.

"Oooh…" the crowd reacted accordingly.

Eboni was now unchallenged…or so she thought.

The buffalo collapsed down onto the ground, but they were now right alongside Guvu.

Guvu ran over towards the buffalo and grabbed a hold of its neck. He began shaking his head and tearing at it, as did Eboni. Eventually the track workers ran out and pushed them away, as it was evident that the buffalo was now dead.

Guvu walked over to line back up in ambush, while Eboni decided that she'd wasted too much time standing and that now it would be a good time for her to log another lap. Before she started her run though, she saw a track worker signal over to Guvu that he had gotten the ten points.

Eboni groaned, but never even gave a second look back at Juveda. Fortunately, though, the lioness had been able to get back up onto her feet and was now also lined back up in ambush.

* * *

Lenny was after the antelope while Bilauri and Shairi were after the zebra. Bilauri and Shairi both pounced at the same time, but it was Bilauri who got the better bite, and so Shairi quickly got back up to her feet and towards the outside of the track, knowing that the ten points were now Bilauri's.

Meanwhile, the antelope had run on by the spot at which Tonka was lined up in ambush, so Lenny gave in the chase.

Nala sighed. "Tough luck, Lenny."

"Ah'm afraid ah was expecting that to happen," Elvis admitted. "That antelope was fast and he didn't really have a lot of room between himself and Tonka from here. Do you really think he's the best we could do for a teammate, Ma'am?"

"Elvis, please drop the Ma'am. I've told you, my name's Nala," said Nala, smiling.

"Ah'm sorry Ma—Nala, but I find it hard to be informal with the queen of these lands."

"Well _ah_ don't think that should be a problem when ah'm speaking with the _King_ of Rock," Nala replied, putting on a southern twang, "and yes," she added, returning to her normal voice, "I do think Lenny is a good pick. He has experience."

"Alright, but ah must say one thing…ah'm not actually the King of Rock. I'm just a lion called Elvis."

Nala lowered her ears. Now that Elvis mentioned it, what she had just said _did_ sound pretty dumb. Jokes pertaining to songs performed by the rock singer Elvis Presley were one thing, but directly attributing personal characteristics of someone else to somebody else based on nothing but the fact that they had the same first name…well, that was a bit different.

"Ahem, yes, ah—I know," Nala replied apologetically. "Sorry."

"It's alright, Ma—Nala. Ah get it all the time."

* * *

Nala went for the zebra that had just been released while Shemshi, as Bilauri had suggested, went for the buffalo. Both were successful in their hunts, and so both travelled towards the outside of the track to line back up in ambush.

Nala found herself lined up next to Shairi, who cleared her throat with the intention of starting up a conversation with the Queen.

Nala looked over at her.

"Nala, you don't _mind_ me working with your husband, do you?"

"Of course not," Nala replied. "Should I be?"

"Perhaps," Shairi replied. "I admire him, Nala. I have no _romantic _feelings for him…but I admire him as a lion. He possesses qualities that I could never have, and it has always been on my bucket list to meet him. Yet, I _truly_ believe he can help me win, and _that_ is why I'm working with him. No other reason. The second I determine that he can't help me win, I will let him go. But until then, I'm probably going to be working closely with him, so I just want to assure you…no, more than that…I _promise_ you, that you have nothing to worry about. I'm just using him as a teammate for the game."

Shairi took a deep breath of relief. Boy, she'd been needing to get that out. She opened her eyes and prayed for the best. Thankfully, and quite surprisingly, she was pleased to see Nala smiling back at her.

"Shairi, I like you too," Nala replied. "I've sat on the hills for several Siku Chokas now. I've rooted for you. I've wanted to see you win. You're a good lion. I trust you." Now, however, Nala put on a slightly more serious expression. "But trust _me_ when I say this. Lay one finger on Simba, and I will rip your beating heart out with my own teeth and claws. They're sharp, you know."

* * *

Winda knew it was almost time for her to hunt, but truth was she still wasn't quite ready. She was trying to scratch her rear leg with her claws, in an attempt to take her focus off of her more serious, distracting injury that was in her other rear leg. However, she had run out of time now, as Elvis had started the chase for the zebra and buffalo.

Winda began to move on out too, but she needn't take five steps to realize that she was not up to running right now. Winda hung her head and began to slow to a walk, making her way over towards the rest of her team, feeling defeated.

Elvis got the zebra, robbing Simba of the ten points that he had been anticipating.

Meanwhile, a new antelope had just been released along with a new zebra, as Juveda had killed the former antelope farther on down the straight.

"I thought everyone said Juveda would do bad," Timon said from the stands, "but she's in third!"

"But Nala and Sarafina always said, that it doesn't matter how many points you have at the end of the night," Pumbaa reasoned, "but rather, how much energy you have left."

"Well Juveda slept a lot earlier."

"I've got to agree with Pumbaa here, Timon," a now-feathered Zazu chimed in. "Perhaps she did sleep but she's also been running more than the others have and she seems to be using up more distance in her hunts than the others are. I don't think she can keep it up forever."

"Perhaps," said Timon. "Thanks for distracting the others earlier Zazu. At least that helped her out!"

"I still quite can't believe I did that," Zazu replied. He picked up a large, yellow, seedless grape-looking fruit. "Stupid rainberries," he added, before tossing another one into his mouth.

* * *

The buffalo began to walk on by Shemshi and Bilauri. Shemshi took off after it, right at the time that Winda arrived.

Winda shook her head. "I'm sorry Bilauri," she said. "I know I'm not much use of a teammate while I only have three good legs."

Winda walked on by Bilauri and lined up in between her and her sister, Shairi.

"You alright, Winda?" Shairi asked.

"I'll live."

"Hey! Hey! Look! It's her!"

"Oh my goodness, do you think she'll remember us?"

"I bet she does! Remind her!"

"Yes! Yes! Certainly!"

The group of competitors turned around to see what was going on. Two excited aardvarks had been standing directly behind them, far in front of the rest of the spectators.

"Winda! Winda! Do you remember us? You asked us if you were bleeding two years ago and we said 'no!'"

Winda shook her head.

"No, sorry guys. Can't say I do. Thanks for rooting for me though."

"But you must remember us Winda! Remember, it was just before Wamariri got disqualified? You'd been injured and she said you were bleeding, and we said you weren't, and then we asked you for your autograph, and then you…"

Winda was trying to think back…she could remember Wamariri, and these two aardvarks?

"…and then Wamariri said some nasty things about your sister, and so you…"

"Oh, yes, I remember you two now!" Winda exclaimed. "Yes, you were the ones who taught me that Wamariri was a scumbag. Thanks guys! If it hadn't been for you two, Wamariri would still be in the Siku Choka and none of _us_ would probably be alive," Winda added, signaling around at the rest of the competitors.

The two aardvarks were now all smiles from ear to ear.

"Woo hoo! She remembers us!"

"We're your biggest fans, Winda! Go win it for us, girl!"

And with that, the two aardvarks ran back up onto the hills.

"Do you _really _remember them?" Bilauri asked.

Winda shrugged. "A bit. Most of what I said was just to suck up to them though."

Bilauri snickered.

Shairi found it amusing too, but not quite as much so.

"'And then Wamariri said some nasty things about your sister,'" she recited.

Winda's ears dropped.

"Oh…yeah, yeah…I…eh…I guess I never told you about that, because…well, you knew Wamariri, she was full of crap."

"What she say?" Shairi asked curiously. "Come on Winda, I can take it."

Winda sighed. "She said you weren't any good and you would never win and she wasn't surprised that you were dead, I told her that that didn't matter because you were an awesome sister and she was a douchebag, and if that you really sucked that bad, Shairi, then I would too."

Shairi smiled back. "Thanks sis," she replied.

"Sorry to interrupt this precious family moment," Bilauri interjected, "but we should _probably _be getting ready for this new zebra and antelope that's about to come by."

"Go ahead," Winda replied, scratching her rear leg one more time. "I'm not up to it right now, I'm afraid."

"Which one's Simba going to go for, Shairi?" Bilauri asked, observing that the lion king was still lined up in ambush before them and would probably ruin her plans.

"I'm not going to tell you."

"I take it that means the zebra."

"Maybe."

"Yup, here he is, he's going for the zebra," Bilauri commented. "Alright, antelope ahoy!"

* * *

Shemshi brought the buffalo down, Simba brought the zebra down and Bilauri brought the antelope down all at about the same time. Three new pieces of prey were released but the field had worked its way far on by the prey-release point, and it would soon be time for another run around the field. Eboni and Juveda had already started.

Meanwhile, Bilauri and Simba were making most of their downtime by walking over towards the infield where the track workers were keeping score right next to the trackside.

"Could you give us a rundown?" asked Simba.

"Yes, certainly," said an ostrich, who was watching over all of the scorekeepers.

"Guvu is leading with 207 points,

"Eboni is second with 180,

"Juveda is third with 168,

"Shemshi is fourth with 156,

"Elvis and Nala are tied for fifth with 129,

"Bilauri, you're seventh with 120,

"Winda is eighth with 110,

"Tonka is ninth with 107,

"Simba, you and Shairi are tied for tenth with 89,

"And Lenny is twelfth and last with 88."

"Wow," Simba commented. "I didn't realize how terrible Shairi and I were doing."

"It's still early in the game," Bilauri reassured him. "Shairi usually performs well in the closing hours when she gets into a good rhythm with her team. Besides, you're already beating Amy's record."

"True."

Simba looked back over at Bilauri's score.

"Congrats, Bilauri, you're doing really well," Simba said, patting her on the back.

Bilauri smiled, feeling rather proud of herself. "Yeah, thanks," she replied. "I'm only 31 points ahead of you though, so it's still quite close."

"Bet this is the biggest day of your life, huh? You've been a Siku Choka fan your whole life, and now you're finally in one."

"Yup," Bilauri replied, simply. "Yup, it's…eh…pretty big. Pretty big deal to me."

Simba looked on down the track. The three new pieces of prey were beginning to close in.

"Come on," Simba said, "let's line back up in ambush."

Bilauri agreed, and they made their way back over to the outside of the track.

"So who were you?" Simba asked. "A Guvu fan, Juni, Nakshi?"

"Keke!" Bilauri shouted back. "The greatest competitor you've never heard of. He's hanging on to his top 30 spot by a thread but he was _so_ underrated. Fourth place in his first Siku Choka, second the two years after that. Lost by _one_ _point_ to Nakshi in Siku Choka 22. Injured by Wamariri in Siku Choka 23. Gods, did he _hate_ her. He probably could've won that year if it hadn't been for her."

"Is he still alive?"

"Oh yeah," Bilauri replied, sitting back down as she and Simba had arrived back on the outside of the track. "He's probably watching us right now. He started a family up as soon as he lost Siku Choka 23. He'll always be remembered by us Siku Choka fans and, yet, he knew his chance to win was gone, so why not go out and live a life?" At this, Bilauri also gave a timid smile. "He also, gave me his autograph and kissed my paw as a cub. Oh gods, he was _amazing!"_

"Indeed," Simba replied. "How come you didn't have a heart attack as soon as you walked in the infield this morning?"

"Oh, I did," Bilauri replied. "But, this is all a dream anyways. It's not actually happening. If it was, I'd be dead."

Simba chuckled. "Well I won't ruin your dream for you then."

The crowd finally began to cheer.

"Uh oh," said Simba.

He and Bilauri looked over. The chase had begun…

* * *

**"Hello, it's Bilauri here! We figured that, since this story was so long, now would be a good time to take a break and take a quick look back at what has happened. How about this, though. Let's make it more interesting. Let's play some Siku Choka trivia! We'll see how smart you are…**

**"Alright, ten questions. Get out a pen and paper! Let's start with something easy…hmm?**

**"Okay. Question one. Two former Siku Choka Champions started Siku Choka 27. Can you name them both?**

**"I hope that wasn't too hard for you. Let's make question two easier, just to be sure. How about this, which sister is _older, _Winda or Shairi?**

**"Now that was too easy. Question three…hmm…which of the following competitors has _not_ been in the lead of Siku Choka 27 at some point during the event. Guvu, Shairi, Eboni or Shemshi?**

**"That one may have been a bit tricky. Ah well. Question four. Which competitor had to travel the farthest distance to get to the Siku Choka? Hint, she had to walk for six days and stop at random prides overnight. It was either Linda, Tumaini, Eboni or Peponi.**

**"Question five. Fifteen competitors started Siku Choka 27. How many of them were male?**

**"Question six. Which of these competitors has _not_ suffered some kind of injury, so far? Elvis, Eboni, Winda or Nala?**

**"Time for another easy one. Question seven. Which Siku Choka competitor is considered the greatest of all time? Guvu, Tunda, Uku or Amka?**

**"Question eight. This one's a bit harder. Which of these competitors has _never_ finished in the top 2? Elvis, Guvu, Tumaini or Winda?**

**"Question nine. Name all three members of one of the three teams right now. You get to choose which team.**

**"Question ten. And this is my favorite question! What is the first word in Bwana Elekezo's Siku Choka Anthem?**

**"Don't know? That's alright. Here's a bonus question for you all. What is grammatically incorrect with the phrase 'Siku Choka?'**

**"Heh, who cares, right? It sounds cool.**

**"Anyhow, here are the answers.**

**"Question 1, Guvu and Tumaini. Question 2, Shairi. Question 3, Shemshi. Shairi was the first leader as she got the first piece of prey, then Tumaini, Eboni and Guvu have all led since then. Question 4, Tumaini. Question 5, six. Elvis, Guvu, Lenny, Shemshi, Simba and Tonka. Question 6, Elvis. Eboni bent her paw back when she slipped, Winda has suffered a shoulder wound and has had an antelope fall on her, and Nala was hurt badly early on when she got hurt chasing a zebra. Question 7, Uku, the only competitor to ever win four Siku Chokas. Question 8, Elvis. Question 9, Simba, Shairi and Tonka, or Nala, Elvis and Lenny, or Winda, Shemshi and Bilauri would have been acceptable. Question 10, I've. _I've seen lions get killed, some dreams get grilled…_blah, blah, blah. And the bonus question, 'choka' is a verb, not an adjective. But 'Siku Choka' just sounds cool. Alright, well thanks for playing! Remember to keep reading and reviewing, and I hope you're all rooting for me!")**


	14. Chapter 14

**(A/N: Well, all I can assume is that your Siku Choka trivia scores were so high that you didn't want to brag about them in your reviews. *Sniffs* I'm so proud of you guys! Here's another long chapter as a reward!)**

* * *

Nine lions were in the chase in all. Eboni and Juveda had just finished running a lap around the track, and so they were now lined up in the frontstretch in ambush waiting for the new prey to be released. Winda had remained on the frontstretch also, still feeling uncomfortable about running on her injured leg.

A breeze blew by the spectators sitting on the hills.

Rafiki took another bite from a gourd that he had been eating, but then looked down inquisitively at the end of a gourd that he had finished earlier.

There were twelve seeds sitting in the bottom of the cup-shaped shell. The wind blew nine of them in a circle around the base of the gourd. Three of them remained where they had been before. Of the nine that travelled around the base one lap, one rolled up high and fell out of the shell. As the eight rolled back down to join the other three, there were now only eleven seeds left.

* * *

Much to the Pridelanders delight, Nala had been the first lion to have scored ten points as she took the antelope down in the first of the two long turns.

A new antelope was released on the frontstretch, but was quickly taken down by Juveda.

Meanwhile, the chases for the zebra and the buffalo were continuing on the backstretch.

Shairi and Bilauri were the only females left in the chase. They had pulled out a lead in front of the males and were both close on the zebra's hind heels. However, they were making it harder for each other by positioning themselves at an angle at which it would be difficult for the other to make an attack.

Simba, who had been able to conserve his energy since his previous chase, was getting a bit tired of watching the two lionesses run without either of them making a move for the kill. Yet, he figured, he knew both of these lionesses well, and so surely they wouldn't be too mad with him if he were to just barge on by between them and take the zebra down himself.

Whether they would or not, Simba didn't care. That is what he did, and it was well worth it. Ten points went to Simba while Bilauri and Shairi were left to run on by with nothing.

Meanwhile, the rest of the males had been sizing the buffalo up all lap, and thus had been running at a slower pace than the rest of the chasers.

Tonka was the first to make a move up onto the buffalo's back, but he would soon find himself lined up with an unexpected problem.

The zebra carcass and Simba were still lying down in the middle of the backstretch. Also, Lenny and Elvis had just ran on by the buffalo, both determining that they would now no longer be able to get ten points for bringing it down.

The buffalo freaked out at the presence of so many lions in front of him, and so he stopped running.

The crowd gasped.

_Get off Tonka,_ was all they could think.

However, Tonka, as strong of a hunter as he may have been, was still a rookie in the Siku Choka, and so he wasn't quite sure as to what was about to happen next. He just pulled himself farther up on the buffalo's back and tried to get a better bite on the neck.

The buffalo, inevitably, began to buck. As it did so, it closed in on Simba and the zebra.

Simba could feel the ground vibrating, and so he checked over his shoulder to see if something was coming.

Seconds later, and Simba was another ten or so feet farther on down the backstretch, as he had determined that running was the best thing for him right now.

Once he was far away enough, Simba stopped and turned back around, waiting to see how the situation would wind out.

It wasn't good.

The buffalo continued to buck all the way up until it arrived at the zebra's carcass. At this point, he tried to jump over it. His rear legs went up so high that Tonka finally lost grip and flew off and above him. When he landed back down on the ground in front of the buffalo, the prey had now became the predator.

The buffalo knew that Tonka was a threat, and so he wanted to make short work of him. He began smashing his hooves into Tonka's skull and body, but was soon stopped as Guvu caught up to them and pounced up onto the buffalo from behind.

Guvu killed the buffalo, but not before the buffalo had done some killing himself.

Nala ran on by all the commotion and ran up to her mate, who was still standing rigid, frozen in his tracks farther on down the straight.

Nala grabbed her mate by the shoulders and shook him violently.

"THIS IS NO TIME TO RUBBERNECK!" she shouted in his face. "GET MOVING TO THE FRONTSTETCH, _NOW!"_

"Nala…Tonka just…he just got…"

"I know he just got killed!" Nala shouted back. "But you can't stop and look back in the Siku Choka, or else _you'll _get killed! Get moving, Simba!"

"Nala, T—Tonka…"

Nala groaned and then waved her paw out. She slapped her mate hard across the face with it.

"Ow! Nala!" Simba snapped back, holding a paw up to his face. "I just saw my friend get killed! How do you think you'd feel?"

"How do you think _I_ feel?" Nala asked back. "He was my friend too, Simba. But I'll be damned if I'm going to watch you get killed too."

"Nala, look, I'm still with it, okay? Nobody's coming. I'm safe here. I just…need a moment…"

"You don't _have _a moment," Nala cried back, on the verge of tears now. The edge in her voice finally caught Simba's attention. For the first time since the incident, Simba drew his focus away from Tonka. "Simba, it's a psychological thing. If you don't move on from Tonka now, you're never going to. You've got to do it Simba, you've got to do it _now."_

Simba looked deep into his mate's eyes. He could already tell that they were tear-stained. She had probably been crying on her way up towards him. Simba took his focus off of her eyes and looked around at the rest of her body. There wasn't an inch of Nala that wasn't covered in mud or blood. Most of it was mud, honestly, as Nala had fallen down plenty of times during the Siku Choka slip-n-slide earlier. Yet still, Simba could see plenty of scars and bruises down on both of her sides, thanks mostly to the early zebra incident. She also had collected plenty of dried blood underneath her nose from the same incident, and there was also much around her muzzle, thanks to all of the points that she had been achieving. Simba looked back up towards her eyes and realized how many bags had formed beneath them. Nala was trying her hardest to operate on as little sleep as she could get.

It was at that moment that Simba recalled how much this game really meant to Nala. She was as much a fanatic of it as what Bilauri was. And yet, through all the scars, mud, blood and bruising that this game had been worth, Nala had determined that it was more important to go up to her mate and check to make sure that he was okay before she got back on with the program and gone on to score more points.

Simba sighed and nodded his head.

"Okay, Nala, I'll move on," he replied.

"Now?"

"Now. I just—I just need something else to think about."

Nala bit down on her lip and tried to think of something for him.

"Well, you could always think about…"

"I know," Simba interrupted her, "I'll just think about you."

Nala raised an eyebrow.

"Really?" she asked.

"Yeah, but you'll look a lot better than what you do now. You're lying down next to the waterhole…its dusk and you're on your back, and there are flowers all around and we're all alone, and…"

"Simba."

"Yes, hun?"

"I get the visual."

"Alright, just making sure."

Nala began to walk on by her mate, brushing him with her tail as she did so.

"Coming to the frontstretch?" she asked.

"Do we have to go _there?" _Simba asked, catching her up. "I was thinking more along the lines of…"

"You know, you still haven't given _me_ something else to think about. I'd like to forget about Tonka too."

"Well, how about some more Siku Choka trivia?"

"Sounds good. What you got?"

"Well…um…who's the _second_ best Siku Choka competitor of all time? After Uku?"

"Tunda. The only three-time Siku Choka Champion. Won Siku Chokas three, five and six. Never finished worse than third."

"Okay, so, um…who's ranked third?"

"Kahawia. Are you just going to go down the entire top thirty and ask me?"

"Perhaps. Who's number four?"

"Guvu."

"Five?"

"Juni."

"Six?"

"Chumvi."

"Seven?"

"Raia…"

* * *

Every now and then Winda would attempt a run, but each time it would either end with her limping back to the outside of the track in pain, or falling over in the middle of the track in humiliation.

Thus, a lot of the new points were going to Eboni and Juveda as they kept taking down the new prey that was getting released. Eventually, Bilauri and Shairi led the rest of the field back up into their ambushing posts on the frontstretch.

"So how about it, Shairi?" Bilauri asked. "Tonka's gone now, unfortunately, and Winda isn't of much use to us right now. You're more than welcome to team up with me and Shemshi."

Shairi tried her best to muster a smile, something that was, given the current circumstances, hard to do.

"Thanks but no thanks, Bilauri," she replied. "Simba's all the teammate I need."

"But you have a history of working with Shemshi too," Bilauri added, "you and him work great together."

"We do," Shairi replied, watching Shemshi running with the rest out of the final turn. "But if you ask me," Shairi added, "I think there's some kind of relationship between him and Winda, and so I usually try and stay out of their way."

"Ah. So…_that's _why you didn't team up with them?"

"It was one of the reasons," Shairi replied. "Also, though, I just truly believe that Simba is the right teammate for me, today."

* * *

Simba and Nala finally lined up at their ambushing posts.

Simba shook his head and looked down at the ground.

"You know Nal', all I'm going to say is this…about Tonka…and then I'll drop it…but, talking about being with you at the waterhole, talking about the lions who have _made_ it in the Siku Choka. That doesn't take my mind off him at all. He can never lie down with his mate again, he will never go down in Siku Choka history. It just…that bothers me…"

"Don't let it," Nala replied. "If you can't help it, then you can step out of this track right now. Competing in the Siku Choka is a huge statement Simba. It says, 'I know I have family, but the Siku Choka crown is worth so much to me, that I'm willing to risk it all, even if it means I'll never be remembered.' You have to believe that Tonka made that statement, and _I _have to believe that _you _can make it too."

Simba looked over at his mate. "You think the Zazu thing was an omen, don't you?"

Nala bit her lip. "I think you care more about me, than you do the Siku Choka," she replied. "And I think that is a one-way ticket to losing it all."

"I'm not going to get hurt," Simba replied, calmly. "I wouldn't put myself in the position that Tonka was in."

"That's what they _all_ say Simba," Nala snapped.

The crowd reacted as Juveda brought down a zebra.

"That's what they all say."

Simba's attention was distracted as a new zebra was released. Bilauri and Shemshi were lined up before them, but neither seemed intent in going after the zebra. Simba knew that he was next.

"Nala, I've got to go…"

Nala raised herself up onto her hind legs and rested her paws against Simba's shoulder blades. She was at his eye-level, but also in a position in which told Simba that she meant business.

"Simba, _promise_ me, _promise _me you'll move on. Promise me you'll forget about Tonka. You'll have time to mourn after the event. Forget about that, and just focus. _Focus._ And if you feel your focus sliding away just the slightest bit, please leave the track immediately…cause I can't stand the thought of losing you."

"I will," Simba replied, moving out of his mate's grasp and over towards the zebra. "I will."

* * *

As Pumbaa and Zazu had noted earlier, Juveda was slowly but surely losing her energy. She began to chase the antelope but it heard her coming in plenty of time and, thus, escaped from her.

Juveda resorted to pacing herself to a walk around the rest of the lap.

Simba, meanwhile, had chased the zebra down and caught it, and was now lined back up in ambush.

The buffalo and the antelope were now walking harmlessly around the track by themselves, leaving the competitors no choice but to go for zebras.

Shemshi and Nala competed against each other in the first chase, with Nala winding up being the victor.

Bilauri and Shairi went for the second, and Shairi took the ten points.

Lenny got the next one, then Elvis, then Guvu, and then Simba again.

Finally, everyone was beginning to see the pattern…

"We're all getting the same amount of points," Bilauri said aloud. "Each of us gets one zebra each and then it moves on to the next competitor."

Winda and Shemshi looked at her.

"Is that a problem?" Winda asked.

"Well, yeah…unless your name's Guvu. Everyone's getting the same amount of points so no one's closing in on him. We need to upset the order of things."

Bilauri looked on farther down the straight. Juveda had now stopped on the side of the track and let the buffalo by. She was pacing it. However, much like Nala's team had earlier, she had no intentions of bringing it down until she got to the front stretch. By pacing now, she could conserve her energy and she would have less distance to run from the point where she killed the buffalo to the point where she could line back up in ambush.

But not if Bilauri could have anything to say about it…

"Shemshi, you're the strongest of us. You're the best at bringing buffalos down." She pointed over towards the buffalo. "Fetch."

Shemshi rolled his eyes. "Yes, master," he replied, moving on out from his ambushing post.

* * *

Nala, Bilauri and Shairi all continued the pattern of taking tens for the zebras. Meanwhile, Winda had given up on her attempts at healing herself, and so she collapsed down onto the floor and fell asleep.

Lenny was up next, and a couple of the competitors got on edge, knowing that if Lenny missed, which was probable, it could start another chase around the track.

Indeed, Lenny moved out too late, and the zebra was already far in front of him by the time he started the chase.

Elvis, Guvu, Nala and Shairi stayed where they were but Simba and Bilauri moved out.

"Simba, wait!"

Simba stopped running and looked over towards the side of the track, wondering who had called him. He soon discovered that it had been Shairi.

"Leaving these posts won't help us, we need to stay here."

Well…Simba might as well obey. It was not like he was going to get the zebra now. Bilauri and Lenny were now far in front.

Simba made his way up to Shairi.

"So what's your plan now, then?" he asked.

"Well, I hate to confess Simba, but you were right. We need a team of three. I don't want to team up with Bilauri and Shemshi because they have far more points than us…"

"Shairi, no offense, but…_everyone_ has more points than us."

"I know," Shairi admitted, "but Juveda's lost her energy. She's not going to be a threat to us for the win."

Simba couldn't help but stare at Shairi blankly. He blinked. _What_ did she just say?

"Y—you want us to team up with Juveda?"

"Sometimes you have to work with lions you don't like," Shairi reasoned. "You should know that, you're a king. I'm sure you've had plenty of meetings before where you've had to make deals with lions you've disliked.

"Well…yeah…"

"So that's why I need you, Simba. Now it's _your_ turn to do something that I can't do. I get on well with other lions, true, but I suck at persuasion. I need you to use all the techniques that you've learned to _persuade_ Juveda to become part of our team. Because I guarantee you she's going to say 'no.'"

"Well, at least we agree on something."

_"Please_ Simba."

"Okay, okay. I'll try my best, Shairi."

* * *

Juveda could finally sense Shemshi's presence from behind, and so she took off into a run and began to work on the buffalo.

She had left her attack until as late as she possibly could. That way, there would be less distance for her to run back to the frontstretch after she had got the buffalo down. She could now hear Shemshi behind her, but it was too late for him. She was up on the buffalo's back and was setting herself up to bite down on its neck. However, Shemshi soon joined her, and it knocked Juveda off balance. Juveda was able to hang on to the buffalo's sides with her claws, but the buffalo was now in a lot of pain and he was beginning to buck. Shemshi knew that they would both be in certain trouble if he didn't finish the job soon, and so he clamped his jaw down onto the back of the buffalo's neck and was able to slice through the crucial veins.

The buffalo collapsed to the floor and brought both Juveda and Shemshi down to a rocky landing with it.

Once Juveda had been able to open her eyes and check that she was alive, she got up onto her feet and made her way over to Shemshi.

She cuffed him across the head.

"WHAT THE BLOODY HELL DID YOU DO THAT FOR?" she bellowed. "I almost _died!"_

"Oh yeah? You would've done the same to me," Shemshi retorted, getting back up onto his feet.

"When have I _ever_ put someone in a position of certain death?" Juveda snapped back.

Shemshi opened his mouth to respond, but then thought better of it. He had no proof that Juveda _had_ killed Peponi…

"You were thinking of Peponi, weren't you?" Juveda asked, disgusted.

Shemshi chose not to respond, but that was enough of an answer for Juveda.

Juveda narrowed her eyes.

"I'd like to see you prove it," she added. And with that, she turned around and left.

* * *

Lenny, to the crowd's astonishment, had been able to outpace Bilauri and get the ten points for the zebra. Both competitors were now running the rest of their ways around the lap.

Meanwhile, a game was being played between Eboni and the Guvu fans.

A new buffalo and a new zebra had just been released. The buffalo was in front of the zebra. Eboni wanted to get the buffalo, as, if she didn't, Guvu probably would. However, if she startled the zebra, the zebra would send out a warning shriek and send both himself and the buffalo off into a run, at which point the buffalo would most certainly become Guvu's.

The Eboni fans in the stands were being as silent as possible, allowing Eboni to read the zebra's mind as she walked on by him. At this point, the zebra now knew she was there, but Eboni needed to make her moves with precision in order to ensure that the zebra knew that she was _not_ after him.

Meanwhile, the Guvu fans in the stands were making as much noise as they could, attempting to frighten the zebra and cause him to break out into a run. A couple of small brawls broke out in the stands as the Eboni fans tried to shut the Guvu fans up.

However, Eboni had done a Siku Choka before, and thus she knew _exactly _what she was doing. With elegantly timed moves, she was slowly but surely able to walk on by the zebra and away from him without ever startling the prey. Now, she could begin her chase on the buffalo.

* * *

"Well Ah don't know about you Misses Nala, Ma'am, but Ah'm a li'l concerned by the fact that Lenny has took off without us. Do you think we should run around a lap with him or wait for him to return here?"

"We'll take off," Nala replied simply. "Guvu and Eboni are only going to go for the buffalo, and it seems that Shairi wants Simba to stay with her on the frontstretch here for some reason, so they're not going to run. In other words, it's just going to be a chase between you and me for the zebra, Elvis."

"Well ah wish you all the worst of luck, in that case then," Elvis joked.

Nala chuckled. "Aw," she replied, "I was starting to hope that I'd become your Good Luck Charm."

"You have, Nala…_my _good luck charm," Elvis clarified, pointing at himself, "only works for _me."_

* * *

Eboni was able to get the buffalo down before she got to Guvu. Seconds later, and Juveda had the antelope down on the backstretch, half a lap after her first failed attempt. The zebra walked on by Elvis and Nala and they both gave chase, with Nala emerging as the victor. They made their way on around to complete another lap.

Shemshi led Juveda out of the final turn and they both lined back up in ambush at the prey-release point. Simba turned to face Shairi again.

"Are you sure waiting is a good idea?" he asked her. "Juveda might be a while."

"Good," Shairi replied. "That'll help us conserve our energy."

"Is that what we need to do to win?"

"I don't know," Shairi replied. "But we'd better try something different. Nothing we've been trying so far has worked."

"You don't _know?"_ Simba asked back. He didn't buy that. "Shairi, you've almost won this game, _twice!"_

Shairi closed her eyes and drew in a deep breath. Several seconds passed and her eyes were still shut. Simba got a little concerned. Had he said something wrong?

"Shairi?" he called.

"Simba, I really shouldn't be allowed to work with you," she replied, now finally reopening her eyes. "You realize you're the _only_ one who's said that to me today?"

"Well…I'm just trying to prove a point…"

"Everyone else has moved on," Shairi continued. "This new generation of Siku Choka fans. They're all rooting for Tumaini, and Eboni and my sister and Elvis. I'm not going to lie…it's made me feel kind of forgotten…it's been so long since I've heard someone say that I'm _good_ at this game. I don't know if you know, but I got knocked out of the top 30 last year."

"Yeah, I heard," Simba replied. He smirked. "And I also heard it was Elvis who did it," he added. "There you go, something we both have in common. We both want to see Elvis lose."

Shairi laughed. "Ah, that's a good one Simba," she replied, "but…it's not Elvis's fault I'm not in the top 30. It's mine. I'm doing something wrong. I haven't given the fans what they've wanted to see. I don't know what it is, but my only guess is that it's a win." She shook her head. "I don't know what else I'm doing wrong."

Simba groaned and looked down at the ground. He didn't want to say it, but Shairi had employed him as a teammate on the basis that he would help her, and perhaps this was what she needed to hear…

"Perhaps you should try running on a broken leg," he said.

Shairi frowned. She was puzzled. What had caused Simba to say that?

"How do you mean?" she asked.

"Well…my mother-in-law, Sarafina…after she won Siku Choka 25, she told us all about different lions that she had met. Well, she told me that she was talking to someone in Siku Choka 25, and that lion told her that you would have never won, because you'd never run on a broken leg."

"Well duh," Shairi replied, "running on a broken leg is virtually impossible. What crazy loon told her that?"

Simba sighed. _I knew she would ask that…damn you Shairi!_

"Um…Uku…"

Shairi's ears dropped. Her face fell. Simba tried to look away from her, but even in the instant in which she had caught her eye, he had been able to read her full facial expression. She was devastated.

"U—Uku said that?" she stammered.

"Uh, yeah. Yeah, she did," Simba admitted. "But, she also added that she was upset that you were dead," he continued, trying to lighten the mood up, "so…it's not all bad."

Shairi looked down at the ground. "I never knew Uku held an opinion of me," she explained. "Nonetheless a negative one. She was my inspiration…and yet she died believing I would never be a Siku Choka champion."

"Well that's not entirely true," Simba said hurriedly, trying not to let Shairi get too upset. "She said that my mom-in-law reminded her of you, because you have guts…you just go out there and kill prey without even thinking about it. You're a great player, is what I think she was getting at, but you were just never determined enough to take the win."

Shairi took in another deep breath. Finally, she looked back up.

"Then she was wrong," Shairi replied, looking up at the skies. "Uku, I don't know if you can hear me, but heavens above, I loved you. If determination's what you want, then that's what you'll get." Shairi turned back to face Simba. "I'm winning this Siku Choka," she told him.

Simba smiled. "Not if I can help it."

Shairi smiled back. "Oh, you can't," she replied.

* * *

Oh, what the fans wouldn't give to see this event fast-forwarded to about twelve hours from now. A buffalo was on its way down the frontstretch and it was about to pass on by Eboni and Guvu. The two points leaders were about to have a go at it for a valuable set of ten points, and yet only one of them would emerge triumphant.

Eboni was the first to move on out, but Guvu was right behind her. The buffalo could already hear them coming and so he had already broken off into a run, but he had nothing when it came to being able to outpace these two lions.

The coffee-coated lioness was first up onto the creature's back, but she hadn't quite found her footing on him yet. Guvu was already in position to pounce, but he knew he couldn't yet. He was too much of a sportsman to put Eboni into peril. He was going to hang back until he knew she was safe, then he would pounce.

Eboni reached out one of her arms and pinned her claws into the buffalo's side. The buffalo shrieked and tried to run faster, but, for Eboni, it had already worked. She had now been able to pull herself up into a more comfortable position, and now Guvu knew that he could join her. Guvu leapt up off the ground and gracefully flew all 550 pounds of him through the air and farther up onto the buffalo's back than what Eboni was.

However, Eboni had already gotten her jaw clamped down on the buffalo's neck, and she was starting to shake the piece of flesh that she had around, attempting to cut off the buffalo's blood supply. Guvu joined in, and, finally, it was over. The buffalo collapsed and Guvu and Eboni moved back to the outside of the track, waiting in ambush for the next buffalo.

The track workers ran out and investigated the carcass. It didn't take them too long to determine who the winner had been. A jackal pointed over at Guvu, and then between them the track workers dragged the carcass off the track and towards the carcass pile.

"I'd thank you for waiting for me to get my balance," Eboni said aloud, "but I can't be too sympathetic towards you when you keep taking all these points from me."

"There's no need to thank me," Guvu replied. "I don't like putting anyone in any sort of precarious position."

"Well, I wasn't exactly about to fall off," Eboni admitted. "If I were you, I would've just taken the jump."

"I have realized that you _are_ a more aggressive player than I am," Guvu continued. He cocked his head sideways. "That's all I can really say about that. I guess we'll have to wait until the end to see whose style works best."

* * *

Juveda went after the newly released buffalo, but she was now using up a lot of track in doing so. The chase took her across the starting line to log another point, and then she tallied another ten as she brought the buffalo down to the ground. Still, she was now far away from the prey-release point, and it was beginning to become evident to her that sleep would be required as part of her strategy soon.

Bilauri groaned. "You're kidding me," she moaned.

"What?" Shemshi asked her back.

"Simba and Shairi are just standing there, doing nothing. They just let the antelope and zebra by. We're going to have to keep hunting buffalo until someone breaks out into a run."

Shemshi smiled. "Not a problem for me then."

A flock of birds flew on by over the top of Bilauri and Shemshi. The scorekeepers had just made a startling revelation, and so the infield reporters, a.k.a., the hornbills, were now off to deliver it to the spectators.

A yellow one flew on down right in front of Sarafina and Tumaini.

"Upon a close examination of the current points standings, it has been discovered that Juveda has now passed Eboni for second place in the points. Guvu still leads the twenty-seventh running of the Siku Choka with 238 points, Juveda is second with 220 and Eboni is third with 212."

The hornbill then whirled around and flew off to deliver the report to someone else.

"Meaningless," Tumaini said to Sarafina. "Juveda's not got the stamina. She's not going to win. Still a showdown between Guvu and Eboni, if you ask me."

"Agreed," said Sarafina. "I only hope my daughter can catch them up too."

* * *

Shemshi had brought down the newly released buffalo, leaving this newest one for Bilauri to try and chase.

The Nyaziland lion made his way over towards the outside of the track, where he now found himself right next to where Winda was sleeping. He shook her gently by the shoulder, waking her up.

"Hmm?" murmured Winda, looking up.

"Hey," Shemshi whispered back, "how you feeling?"

Winda groaned, closing her eyes again. "Still sore," she confessed. "I don't know Shemshi…I don't know what I'm still doing out here. I only have 110 points, I must be a hundred points down by now."

"Well don't give up," Shemshi instructed. "You're in no danger while you're here. Maybe you'll feel better in the morning, then you can take them all down while we're all asleep."

Winda smiled at the thought. "Let's hope so," she replied. "You're a great friend, Shemshi. You know that?"

"Hey, I'm just doing my best to help a teammate," Shemshi reasoned.

"And how's our other teammate doing?"

A giant _SPLOSH _from behind them was enough of an answer for both of them, as Bilauri had just failed on her attempt to take the buffalo down.

"She's getting there," Shemshi replied.

* * *

Juveda was now the next competitor in ambush for the buffalo. Shairi and Simba were hoping that, if Juveda screwed up, she would run all the way down to where they were and then line back up next to them. That way, they could call on her as a teammate.

As luck would have it, that was exactly the way in which it turned out. Juveda moved over next to them and then lied down on the ground. She had long-since realized that her energy was gone, and now it was time for her to get some sleep.

"Go on King Simba," said Shairi, pushing him forwards. "Now's your chance. Use your excellent persuasion techniques to get her to join our team."

"Alright," Simba replied, confidently. "One excellent persuasion, coming right up!"

The lion king made his way over to Juveda. Juveda sensed his presence. She lifted an eyelid.

"What do _you_ want?" she asked crudely.

"Would you like to be on our team?"

"No."

Simba sighed. He turned around to face Shairi. "That's it," he told her, "I tried."

Shairi rolled her eyes. 'Try harder,' she mimicked.

Simba turned back around.

"Would you like to be on mine and Shairi's team, _please?"_

"Shairi, huh? _That_ overrated whore? You realize the only thing that's ever made her any good is that she knows the right lions to work with. But what about you? Why'd she pick _you_ as a teammate? What makes your story so special? Lions take over prides all the time, yet yours just had a fire and starvation and a love story and all that crap that made it more interesting. Why the bloody hell would I want to work in a team like that?"

Simba blinked.

_Okay…so she's an insult comic, is she? Ha! This should be worth it…_

Simba knelt down and looked at her from eye-level.

"So," he began, "if it's not me, who are you going to work with? _Elvis?"_

"Elvis, huh?"

Simba could feel a laugh coming on already. He knew this was going to be great…

"That bloody murderer?"

…

…okay…that—that wasn't quite what he'd been expecting…

"Um…explain?" Simba asked.

"What, you think _I _killed Peponi?" Juveda asked. "She and I were the only ones awake at the time, huh? Who told you that? Elvis?"

"No…Eboni…"

"And who do you think told _her?_ She had to find out somehow. Lions with families don't last very long in the Siku Choka, Simba. As soon as Linda got injured, she ran home to her husband like a wuss. You think Elvis didn't know that was going to happen? He was in the hunt that injured her, remember? And then it looked like Tumaini was going to win, and Elvis ran that piece of prey right down into her when all the track workers were telling him to stop…"

"But he apologized…"

"…and then Peponi, she was doing really well in the wet. It looked like she would take the lead away from everyone. Two leaders get taken out early on in the Siku Choka? Sounds a bit fishy to me. Remember that wounded buffalo earlier that you and your mate went to kill? Who wounded it? Elvis. When Shemshi was on it. He was trying to kill someone."

"He confessed it was his mistake! He said, 'sorry, folks, I injured this buffalo, it's my solemn duty to bring it down.'"

"Then when Tonka was on that buffalo a while ago, he started running right on by it before Tonka had it down. That freaked the buffalo out and you _know_ what happened next. Remember that fight he and Bilauri had with Winda earlier when they were all going for that same piece of prey? A chunk of Winda's shoulder got ripped out. You're telling me Bilauri did that?"

Juveda's eyes widened. How could she forget, she was speaking to Simba! She should have mentioned this one to start off with…

"And what about your mate, Nala? Remember when she got badly injured hunting that zebra earlier? Who wounded that zebra? Who was right on its hind legs when that incident happened?"

"It was a pack."

"Yah, and Elvis was part of that pack. You go up to your mate and ask her to reminisce on that accident. I guarantee she'll tell you that she got clipped."

"Juveda…Nala's a good judge of character. She's been working with Elvis all game, I'm sure if he was a murderer she would have seen it by now?"

"No female can see through that pretty face," Juveda sneered. "He's the devil in disguise. But he's not married, unlike the _real_ Elvis. He doesn't sing, unlike the real Elvis. And he's not nice, unlike the real Elvis. Simba, he's not the real Elvis…but all these pretty girls just don't see that."

Simba had no reply for Juveda right now. She had brought him right in. There was too much here for it all to be a coincidence.

"Elvis tried to murder your mate, Simba. And…if she does well and starts scoring points, he'll try and do it again."

* * *

**(A/N: BOOM! Bet you didn't see that one coming! I'm not going to lie, I've been building to that all story. It's not something I've just came up with. So, who's made a worse choice on teammates: Simba or Nala? After all, Juveda's not exactly the most trustworthy lion on Earth...)**


	15. Chapter 15

**(A/N: Hmm...I hope you guys weren't too attached to the idea of Winda x Shemshi. Because, as you will see, that's not quite the case. We will learn more about Elvis, Shairi and Lenny in this chapter - so enjoy!**

**(A/N 2: For clarification purposes, because I know I've brought both up before without explaining them. The motor racing simulator thing I used in which I plugged each Siku Choka competitors name in has nothing to do with this story. All it did was make me think about how each competitor would react to a different kind of situation. However, the PowerPoint that I use to simulate what's going on in this story is what is driving the whole thing. I don't know how well it came out, but I have changed the cover of this story to that PowerPoint at a moment in time during this story. Each character is resembled by a white box on the oval, usually with the first letter of their name differentiating them from other boxes (the exceptions are when characters have the same first letter, such as Eboni's box is the number 1 and Elvis's box is the number 2). Character's boxes that are highlighted in yellow are asleep. Character's names that I highlighted in red are dead, and those highlighted in grey have been injured and are no longer a part of the game. Next to each character's name is the amount of points they have. The tan box on the track is the antelope, the black one is the zebra and the brown one is the buffalo. As you can tell from the image at the particular time I took it, each competitor is lined up in ambush on the frontstretch. The names on the outside of the track indicate where that competitor's pride is sleeping. The black line running across the frontstretch is the starting line. Each competitor gets 1 point when they cross it. If you have any other questions about this PowerPoint/image, let me know!)**

* * *

Nala's team was the first lined up in ambush. Since they had control of the track, they decided to play tic-tac-toe. Elvis went for the new buffalo that had just been released, logging him ten more points. Nala went for the next one. Now, it was just Lenny left.

Lenny gulped. He knew he wasn't any good at hunting these things. He knew, as well, that they could be very dangerous. Yet the antelope and zebra were currently pacing the circuit in a very nonchalant manner, and currently it seemed that they would both be enjoying their lives for quite a while longer.

Lenny began to move out towards the buffalo.

However, it was then that, out of the blue, the zebra and the antelope had a new challenger.

Simba was running around the circuit as fast as his legs could carry him. He had been the last lion lined up in ambush and, consequently, he had known that he wasn't in the best position on the circuit if he wanted to get some questions answered.

He wanted to speak to Eboni, but, most importantly, he also wanted to speak to Nala. He could have easily turned around and walked back on the circuit to get to her, but that would have disqualified him from the event and made Elvis suspicious about how much Simba had known. There was also the possibility that Juveda could be lying about the whole thing. Simba needed to learn more information; it was too early to start jumping to conclusions now. It was best, for now, if he at least stayed in the game.

Simba had closed in on the antelope and zebra but yet had no intentions of going after them. Yet the two pieces of prey had broken out into a run, and they were all making their way around the circuit at a very fast pace. It was at that moment that Simba began to catch on to a few of the track worker's expressions. Many of them were slightly confused as to why Simba was running without any intention of bringing down these two easy pieces of prey.

_What if Elvis is thinking the same? _Simba thought. Not wanting to arouse any suspicion, Simba jumped up onto the zebra's back and brought it down for ten points. The crowd cheered.

Meanwhile, Lenny had now finally fully left his post and was beginning to size the buffalo up.

The track workers got the message that Simba had just brought the zebra down, and so a new zebra was released.

"Ooh, a zebra!" exclaimed Lenny, taking his eyes off the buffalo.

Lenny waited for the zebra to go by him and then brought that down, while Elvis chased the buffalo on down the straight until it had passed Bilauri's team. Elvis brought the buffalo down and scored ten points, but he was now far away from the prey-release point. Still, he lined back up in ambush.

Lenny and Nala still had control of the track, and now a new zebra and buffalo were on their way.

"Go for the zebra, Lenny. I'll get the buffalo," said Nala.

Lenny nodded in agreement and then they began their respective chases.

The buffalo on track was a bit larger than usual, and so Nala spent a bit of extra time trying to size it up. Lenny, however, was quick on the zebra's hind heels and was soon setting himself up for the pounce. However, Shemshi ran out from his ambushing post and timed his attack to perfection, elegantly snatching the zebra and the ten points away from Lenny.

Nala had no such challenge for the buffalo and, though it may have taken her a little while longer than usual, she ended up taking the ten points for it. Bilauri was now the first competitor lined up in ambush.

The new zebra and buffalo were taking their time to walk down the straight. By the time they made their ways up to Bilauri, Simba was already running out of the final turn.

"If he pulls this off, it's going to be one of the best-timed attacks in Siku Choka history," Elvis commented to Nala.

Nala didn't reply; she just kept her eyes affixed on the action. Was her husband _really_ this smart?

Bilauri had half an eye on the zebra and buffalo, which were both right now making their ways on by her, and half an eye on Simba, trying to see when he would arrive in her proximity. She was trying to determine if she had enough time to make an attack in which the odds would be calculated in her favor. The buffalo finally took a step on by her, but Bilauri took one last glance at Simba and determined that, no, the lion king was too close. The chase would not be worth it. She might as well wait for him to make the kills and then she could get the newly released pieces of prey without any challengers.

However, to herself and everyone else's astonishment, Simba did not go after the buffalo. Nor did he go after the zebra. Instead, panting out of exhaustion, he slowed down to a walk and made his way up to Bilauri.

"Bilauri—" he choked, "—I must know…who died in Siku Choka 26? And how?"

Bilauri was completely bewildered. She did a double-take between Simba and the twenty points that both she and him had just lost out on. The zebra had now walked on by Lenny and he had gone and killed it. The buffalo had now walked on by Shemshi and he had gone and killed it.

Bilauri was enraged.

"You realize you just cost _both_ of us twenty points?" she asked him.

"Bilauri, my question's more important!" Simba snapped back. "Tell me!"

"Laini, Hifadhi and Feruzi. They were all rookies. None of them knew what they were doing."

"Did someone hurt them?"

"No, they all did it solo. Laini went for a buffalo that tossed him off, Feruzi tripped over a dead zebra carcass that hadn't been recovered and Hifadhi got beaten up by a zebra that he'd fallen off of."

"No murder?"

"No," replied Bilauri again, agitated. "What is this about? Seriously, I already have to put up with my two love-crossed teammates. I don't need you making things more complicated too."

Simba groaned. Bilauri was of no use to him. He moved on by her and made his way up to the sleeping Winda. He shook her gently by the shoulder.

"Winda," he called. "Winda, wake up. I need to ask you something."

Winda groaned and looked up above her. She was surprised, to put it mildly, to see Simba's face right above her, obscuring her vision from anything else.

"Hey, who did this to you?" asked Simba, pointing down at her shoulder wound.

Winda was still waking up, and thus it took her a couple of seconds to realize what Simba was pointing at.

"Does it matter?" Winda asked back. "It's not hurting me any."

"Who did it?" Simba asked again. "You were in a fight with Bilauri and Elvis. Was it one of them?"

"I don't know," Winda moaned. "Everything happened so fast. Seriously, King Simba, I'm tired. Mind if you let me sleep?"

"Look…I think a lion out here tried to kill your boyfriend earlier," Simba stated, trying to get her to cooperate.

"Doubt it," Winda replied, smiling. "I don't have a boyfriend."

"W—well…" Simba stuttered. Yeah, he'd jumped to that conclusion too quickly. "…well, I think someone tried to hurt Shemshi."

Winda laughed. "I'm in love with Shemshi, huh? Who came up with that one? Sure, I hang around him a lot. But we're just good friends. We're from neighboring prides, that's all."

"Winda, answer the question please."

"I did. And I told you, I don't know. And it seems you think it was either Bilauri or Elvis, most likely Elvis because you've been hanging around with Bilauri all day. And, most likely, you're talking about the time that Elvis wounded that buffalo that Shemshi was on. Yeah, that was stupid. But hey, Elvis is a second-year competitor and this is a dangerous game. Lions like that are bound to make mistakes. Don't fret, seriously. Now can I get some sleep, _please?"_

Simba groaned and began to move back on down the track.

Eboni was next.

_Good, _thought Simba, _this should help me answer a lot of questions._

"Eboni," he called. "Who told you that Peponi had died?"

"Elvis," Eboni replied, "why's that so important?"

"Well…what if Elvis was lying?" Simba proposed. "What if he was also awake? I mean, he had to find out that Peponi was dead somehow."

"He asked a track worker," Eboni replied. "I know, he told me. Unfortunately the track workers have a very confined vision of what's going on. All they could tell him was that it had something to do with a wounded buffalo."

_Yeah,_ Simba thought, _and guess who wounded that buffalo._

Still, he didn't go mentioning that to Eboni. There was still much more he needed to find out. Right now, it was just as likely Elvis as it was Juveda. At least as far as Eboni was concerned.

"Okay, thank you," Simba replied, moving on.

Nala's team was the next group lined up in ambush. He would need to find a way to pry Nala away from the rest of them.

Elvis and the others could see Simba coming.

"Ah'm having a li'l difficulty trying to figure out your husband's strategy, Ma—Nala," said Elvis.

"He probably doesn't have one," Nala replied. "I have no idea what he's doing. He's never spoke to Winda before and he's using up a lot of precious track by walking down here."

"Ah'm thinking that maybe he wants to speak to you," Elvis suggested.

"Perhaps," was Nala's reply.

Simba finally made his way up to the group.

"Nala," he called, "can I have a word with you in private?" he asked.

"Sure," Nala replied.

_Five paces oughta do._

Nala took five paces down the track, away from Lenny and Elvis, and then stopped.

"Nala, more private than that," said Simba, suggesting that they should take a few more steps.

Nala shook her head. "I'm not using up _that_ much track," she replied.

"I'm afraid, in the long run, it's probably for the best that you do," Simba replied.

"If I do, will you explain to me what's going on?"

"That's what I'm here for."

Nala sighed and gave in. Hesitantly, she took about five more paces with her mate. Now, they were a comfortable distance away from Lenny and Elvis.

"Nala," Simba hissed, "tell me _everything_ that happened when you got injured by that zebra earlier. I need you to remember as much as you possibly can."

Nala was taken aback by her mate's sudden aggressiveness, but her zebra injury earlier _had_ been a serious one, so she couldn't blame him for taking it as such.

"Um…well…we were all in a group on the frontstretch," Nala recalled. She closed her eyes, trying to pull up a more vivid memory. "Winda was the first to start the chase, as she usually is. Speed is her strong point, you know? Pretty much every competitor was in that chase. I think we were all agreed to wait for the buffalo after it was done, so I was extra determined to get the zebra. I caught up with it and I saw that it was wounded…"

"Who wounded it?"

Nala opened her eyes. "Now how am I supposed to know that?" she snapped.

"Well had anyone made an early move?"

"Well if it was, it was probably a male," Nala concluded. "Because whoever it was, they weren't there by the time I made my way up to it. If it had been a female, they would've been more likely to maintain their speed and bring it down before I could catch it." Nala shrugged. "Does this mean anything?" she asked.

"That's enough," Simba admitted. "Now, go on. How did you fail?" he asked. "What caused you to get injured?"

"I—I—" Nala stammered, trying to remember. Her eyes grew. "I got tagged," she recalled. She met Simba's gaze. "Simba, you're a genius! I'd never even thought about it. I was so concerned about my recovery that I never even realized that someone had tried to hurt me! You think you know who?"

"Uh-huh-huh," replied Simba, in a deep voice.

Nala frowned. She could tell who Simba was getting at, but she didn't quite believe him.

"The same lion who hurt Linda, the same lion who chased the prey into Tumaini, the same lion who told Eboni that Juveda was the only one awake when Peponi had got killed. How do you think _he_ found out? And, the same lion who ran by the buffalo when Tonka was on it, causing the buffalo to freak out and buck Tonka off." Simba sat down and continued. "The same lion who attacked a buffalo when Shemshi was on it. The same lion who was in a fight with Winda earlier, need I go on?"

Nala was a little uncertain of how to best respond to Simba's theory, so she just gave him her true thoughts straight up.

"Simba, I know you don't like Elvis, b—but he's been a good teammate to me. To us, both myself and Lenny. It's wrong to go around accusing someone of being a murderer when half of those things you just mentioned could've been coincidences."

Simba face palmed himself. "I knew you'd say something like that," he said. "He's not the real Elvis, Nal'. Has he even sung for you?"

"What's that got to do with anything?" Nala asked. "Who told you all this? Or did you figure it all out yourself?"

"No," Simba confessed, "Juveda told me."

"Oh, well that explains everything," Nala replied. "What are you doing listening to Juveda?"

"Just because we don't like her, doesn't mean we can shoot down what she says."

"No, but we _can_ be more skeptical," Nala reasoned. "Tell you what, I'll keep an eye out on Elvis from now on. Thanks for your concern, love, but I think Elvis is a good teammate for me. But I'll watch him, don't worry."

"You'd better," Simba replied. He could that he couldn't do much more convincing. Nala was as skeptical as she was going to get. So, he turned around and made his way back over to Shairi.

"Everything alright, bud?" asked Shemshi, as Simba walked on by him.

"Yeah," Simba lied. "Elvis attacked a buffalo from under you earlier, right?" Simba asked, figuring he might as well do some fact-checking while he was at it.

"Yes sir, he did," Shemshi replied. "Rotten scumbag, to be playing like that if you ask me. Took half the competitors to bring that buffalo down, remember?"

Simba paused. He had gotten so used to being shot down this lap. He was actually kind of surprised to have someone agree with him.

"Oh…so…eh…you don't like him either?"

"Course not," Shemshi replied. "I try my best to play clean out here, yet him, Juveda and Eboni all seem to be playing a bit rough. Can't blame Eboni though, she's trying to beat Guvu for the win. Also can't blame Juveda, she's just depressed. But I don't know what Elvis's problem is."

Suddenly, the crowd's cheers picked up. The new buffalo and zebra had now finally passed on by Bilauri. She'd gone on to chase the zebra, while the buffalo began to run but then was quickly brought down by Eboni, who'd been waiting in ambush. Bilauri got the zebra, and a new buffalo and zebra were released. Simba determined he'd better get lined back up in ambush.

"Well, thanks Shemshi," he replied, "it's nice to know that _someone_ agrees with me."

Simba finished up the rest of his lap and lined back up next to Shairi.

Shairi swished her tail around impatiently.

"So…"

Simba looked over at her.

"…_did_ you get Juveda to join our team?"

Simba sighed. "Sorry Shairi, I forgot," he replied, looking back over at the sleeping Juveda. "I'll ask her again later, I had some more important matters to attend to."

"Mind telling me what such matters were?" Shairi asked back. "I've been standing here for a good ten minutes on my own, trying to figure out why my teammate just took off and logged a lap without me."

"I have reason to believe that Elvis is the new Wamariri," Simba stated.

Shairi's reaction was exactly what Simba had grown used to. She was half shocked, but hidden behind it was a lot of skepticism.

"Simba, you have to have a lot of proof before you go around accusing a Siku Choka competitor of being a murderer," Shairi reasoned. "You haven't been telling anyone that, have you?"

"Just Nala," Simba replied. "And I think Shemshi's kind of figured it out for himself."

"Shemshi?" Shairi asked, even more surprised.

"Yes," Simba replied. "Shemshi. That lion just over there. The one from your neighboring pride. Him. Shemshi."

_"I know_ who Shemshi is, Simba," Shairi said back. "I just wouldn't have expected him to have come to the same conclusion. I know him, he has his head screwed on right. If he believes it, then maybe there is some credibility to your argument, after all."

"Thank you," Simba replied. "That makes two who believe me. Everyone else has been shooting me down. Even your sister hates me now, I think. But I guess that's because I called Shemshi her boyfriend."

Shairi laughed. "Ah, that's pretty close to the truth," she replied.

"No it isn't," said Simba. "Winda said there was nothing between her and Shemshi at all."

Shairi raised an eyebrow. "Really?" she asked. "I find that hard to believe."

"Well they could just be friends. I think you're seeing a relationship where there isn't one, Shairi."

"Oh, like you can blame me," Shairi retorted. "I mean, you've been watching Elvis and Nala like a hawk, all game."

"Well that's _different. _I'm in love with Na…"

Simba stopped. Shairi took that as her key to continue.

"I mean, take, for example, the time about two hours ago, when Elvis began hunting that buffalo on the frontstretch and…eh…Simba…why are you smiling at me like that?"

Shairi had interjected Simba when he had stopped talking. Mistake being: she had never checked to see _why_ Simba had stopped talking. But reality was sinking in now…that wide grin could only mean one thing. He had figured her out.

"You have a crush on Shemshi, don't you Shairi?"

Shairi chuckled nervously. "I…eh…I have a thing for him," Shairi admitted. "We're good friends, let's put it that way. But, seriously, right now we're kind of in this game called the Siku Choka…and, eh, relationships aren't the best of things to be talking about right now. So can we hold off on this conversation for later? I think the prey's here."

* * *

"Ah think you should go for this zebra, Lenny," Elvis suggested.

"But Bilauri's going to go for it."

"Ah don't think that should be a problem. You're faster than her."

"Are you sure?"

Elvis shrugged. "Only one way to find out."

Well, he had a point there. Lenny crouched down.

"Okay." He took a deep breath. "Here goes."

The zebra walked on by Bilauri and she gave chase. Lenny joined in too. He never stood a chance. Bilauri proved to be a much faster runner than Lenny and she easily snagged the ten points away from him. Behind them, Eboni had run out and began to tackle the buffalo.

The lioness easily made it up onto his back, but, yet again, the track workers had released a fairly large buffalo out onto the circuit, and it was putting up a strong fight against her. Guvu saw that Eboni was struggling and he sensed an opportunity.

The two-time champion ran out from his ambushing post to join Eboni in the hunt. However, he was unwilling to make a move unless he knew that Eboni would be safe. Since the buffalo was beginning to buck, he knew that time wouldn't be now.

Eboni had her jaw tightly clamped on the back of the buffalo's neck, yet the buffalo continued to buck. Deep down, Eboni was scared, but she knew that if she just kept a hold of nape of the buffalo's neck for just a bit longer, she would succeed.

Finally the buffalo could take no more, and it collapsed to the ground with Eboni ten points richer, and Guvu left to run on by with nothing.

* * *

Elvis made his way up to Nala.

"Ah told Lenny to go for that zebra, Ma'am," he confessed. "I'd rather him be waiting on us than the other way around."

"So you just let him give up ten points by telling him he was faster than Bilauri?" Nala asked back. "I agree that I don't think he will win, Elvis, but he's still a part of our team. We should let him have a fair shot."

"Now ah didn't _know_ that he wasn't faster than Bilauri, Ma'am," Elvis pointed out. "But now that we've tested it, he shouldn't go racing against her again."

"True," Nala admitted.

_Time for a change of subject._

"Elvis…forgive me for asking…but…do you _sing?"_ she asked.

_"When no other lion understands me,_

_ "When everything I do is wrong,_

_ "You give me hope and consolation,_

_ "You give me strength to carry on…"_

With every line, Elvis was closing in on Nala. Nala finally chuckled and pushed him back away, checking down the track to make sure Simba hadn't seen.

"Okay, well I guess that answers that," she stated, smiling.

_Well…Simba was wrong about something, _she thought.

Simba, meanwhile, had begun a lap around the track with Shairi. Guvu, Eboni and Bilauri had now all broken out into the run too.

Nala's team and Shemshi were now the only lions left lined up in ambush. A zebra and a buffalo were heading their way.

"We should probably log a lap around the track after this," Nala suggested. "I'll go for the buffalo if you want to go for the zebra."

"Uh-huh, that sounds good to me," Elvis replied. He raised his voice a little and looked over towards Lenny. "Hey eh, Lenny!" he called. "Ah think it's a good idea if we run around the track after these two pieces of prey. If you want tah start running now, Nala and I will catch up."

The prey was here now, and Nala was already crouched down. Elvis crouched down too.

"Good luck Ma'am," he said.

"Good luck," Nala replied.

The prey walked on by and the two lions moved out.

Nala had timed it perfectly, and she was on the buffalo's hind legs almost immediately. She didn't waste any time in pouncing either. Finally, the normal-sized buffalos had returned to the track, helping Nala score a quick ten points.

Elvis hadn't timed his zebra attack as much to perfection, but it was still inevitable that these ten points would become his. He was closing in on the zebra's heels when, suddenly, all those hopes of ten easy points vanished. Lenny ran out of ambush and took the zebra down for himself.

Elvis stopped dead in his tracks. He'd never even thought that Lenny would've been a threat.

Lenny looked up from his kill, merrily. "I'm here to score points too," he said. And with that, he led the rest of the team into a run around the track.

* * *

A while passed before any more points were scored. The zebra and the buffalo were walking unchallenged down the frontstretch as every competitor but Shemshi had gone on to log another lap. Meanwhile, the antelope was calmly making his way out of the final turn.

However, everything had just gotten very quiet.

Too quiet.

The antelope kept on walking, but he was beginning to get a bit nervous. He looked around to the left. Jackals, cheetahs, lions and ostriches were all standing on a giant grassy plain right next to the dirt oval he was on, yet none of them seemed intent on making a move. He looked over to the right. Elephants, giraffes, hippos and more lions were sitting on hills far above him, yet none of them seemed to want to go after him either.

The antelope kept on walking nervously, but he couldn't help but feel a little bit weary. Finally, he checked over his shoulder.

Five lions, named Bilauri, Eboni, Guvu, Shairi and Simba, had all been stalking him silently for a while now. The crowd had done a good job at being quiet for them, and now all of them were right now on the antelope's heels.

The antelope began to run, but he knew he didn't stand a chance.

The question that the spectators had though, was who would be the one that would kill him?

Eboni was leading the pack with Simba and Bilauri hot on her heels. It was beginning to look as if this antelope would go to Eboni, so Bilauri began to slow up.

Simba felt a burst of energy shoot through him as he realized he was now second in chase. He looked around for any hazards just to make sure he hadn't missed anything, but all he could see was the prey-re…

_The prey-release point!_

Simba came to a sudden halt, forcing Guvu and Shairi to have to run around him.

"Shairi, wait!" Simba called.

Shairi stopped too and looked back. Bilauri, Eboni and Guvu were now all far in front of them, though Bilauri had lined up in ambush at the prey-release point.

"What's the matter?" she called back.

"We were about to pass the prey-release point."

"I know," Shairi replied. "I was about to give-in too. I was going to line up in ambush next to Bilauri."

"All three pieces of prey are about to come down at the same time," Simba commented. The zebra and the buffalo were just about to walk on by Shemshi, while the antelope already had Eboni on its back. "Bilauri's going to go for one and the other two will come down somehow too."

"I know," Shairi replied. "What's the point you're getting at, Simba?"

"Well, what if Bilauri has a bad hunt? Look at Eboni and Guvu, now…they're far on down the track. We'll have the whole track in our control, all three pieces of prey going to us."

Shairi looked farther up the track, to where all the action was going on. A new antelope and buffalo had just been released, but Bilauri seemed intent on waiting for the zebra. When it would be released, Bilauri would chase it far on down the track. The antelope and buffalo would also panic and would run into the clutches of Guvu and Eboni who, like Simba had pointed out, had also both used up a lot of track in their hunt.

"This could work…" Shairi admitted. "We'd have to have a lot of luck on our side though."

"I think anyone has to have luck on their side," Simba reasoned, "if they're going to win the Siku Choka."

* * *

Shemshi caught the zebra and began to run around the track. A new zebra was released and Bilauri went for it. Unfortunately, for Simba and Shairi, it seemed that Bilauri had timed her attack to perfection, and she was right on the zebra's hind heels.

If Bilauri was successful in her hunt, Simba and Shairi would still have control of the track…but not for long. They would soon be forced to line up behind Bilauri in ambush.

Bilauri jumped up onto the zebra's back and bit down hard onto its neck.

Simba groaned. "I'm sorry Shairi," he commented. "It was worth a shot."

"Don't worry Simba, it—oh!" exclaimed Shairi, watching Bilauri's hunt.

It hadn't been raining for a long time, but the track still had its damp patches. The zebra had just found one, and, when it had, its front legs had quickly gave in and it had fallen over frontwards. Bilauri was thrown over the zebra's head and was face planted into the track below.

The zebra got back up off of the ground but was already beginning to suffer severe blood loss. It quickly fainted back down onto the floor below, and the track workers ran out to investigate.

Bilauri was back up onto her feet too, but she was winded and was having difficulty seeing. Her head was in pain and blood was pouring out from her nose. She knew she would live but she was in no condition to be hunting right now. She made her way over to the outside of the track, with the intention of fixing herself up as good as she could in as little time as possible.

Eboni and Guvu, with Eboni now being the point's leader again, were both still waiting in ambush for the antelope and buffalo. The two pieces of prey walked on by and the two leaders made short work of them, with Eboni getting the antelope and Guvu getting the buffalo.

A new antelope, zebra and buffalo were released while Bilauri lied down to get some rest. She was having difficulty making decisions, yet it seemed her nosebleed wasn't going to get much worse. If she just slept it out for a few minutes, she would recover.

For about 400 yards, the track now belonged to Shairi and Simba.

The two both exchanged glances, and smiled.

"One rule," said Shairi, holding up a finger for emphasis. _"Never_ go for the last piece of prey," she stated. "Other than that, have fun."

* * *

**(A/N: "You like krabby patties, don't you Squidward." I'll admit that that Spongebob quote kind of influenced Simba's "you have a crush on Shemshi, don't you Shairi?" I don't know how easy Simba's reasoning came out, so I'll explain it a bit here. Simba is jealous of Elvis because he is hanging around the one he loves (Nala) all the time. He sees a relationship between them when there really isn't one. Shairi saw a relationship between Shemshi and Winda when there really isn't one, so Simba concluded, correctly, that Shairi has a thing for Shemshi. If this is still confusing let me know and I'll try and work on it a bit more next chapter.)**


	16. Chapter 16

**(A/N: FYI, I don't always respond to the reviews I get because I kind of want to make the story speak for itself. If you bring up a good point, I try and find someway in the story to answer it. Anyhow, I'm not going to say that reviews are worth anything, but let's put it this way: I still have not picked a winner. I've narrowed it down to a field of six, and three of them stand out above the others, but your input could always sway me in other directions. Ah well, on with the story...)**

* * *

Simba and Shairi both quietly crept on by the buffalo. Now, the zebra and the antelope were theirs for the taking. They kept the noise down enough that both pieces wound up being easy pickings: the antelope for Shairi and the zebra for Simba.

But the games had just begun…

Shairi checked over her shoulder.

"Simba, go left!" she shouted back at him.

Simba got back up to his feet from the zebra kill and made a move to the left. The buffalo brushed right on by him. Simba picked up the pace and gave a snarl from behind the buffalo. The buffalo began to run faster, but Simba had already pounced up onto its back. He dug one set of claws into its side and the buffalo shrieked. It was so distracted by the pain that it forgot to put up a resistance. Simba bit down on the neck and soon had the buffalo dead on the ground.

"Nice job," Shairi commented, but she didn't waste too much time congratulating him. The new antelope and zebra were almost here.

The zebra was first and Shairi gave chase, while Simba got back up onto his feet from the buffalo kill and went after the antelope.

The antelope would soon belong to Simba, if all went according to plan.

Problem was, it didn't.

Simba had not hunted many antelope during this event, and so he was taken aback by just how fast it was. He lunged for the prey when it ran on by him, but all he managed to do was clip its leg. The antelope continued, but he was wounded and thus was zigzagging all the way across the track.

"Oops," Simba said aloud.

Shairi looked up from her latest zebra kill and over towards him.

"They—they're not going to think bad things of me for wounding that antelope, are they?" asked Simba.

Shairi shook her head 'no.'

"We try our best to not wound the prey, but every now and then it happens," she reasoned. "I mean, a failed attack is a failed attack. If wounding prey was a big no-no, then they would have thrown Elvis out a long time ago."

It would take the antelope a while before it would get to Eboni and Guvu, who were the only other two lined up in ambush, yet it wasn't guaranteed that either of them would bother going after the antelope. For now, zebra and buffalo would have to do for Shairi and Simba.

The new buffalo and zebra had already made their ways up to where the two lions were. Shairi and Simba were both doing an excellent job of using up as little track as possible during their chases.

"I'll go for the buffalo this time," said Shairi.

The two pieces of prey passed on by them and Simba and Shairi both shot off in hot pursuit. The zebra and Simba ran out in front, and soon came to a slushy halt on the ground as Simba brought the zebra down for ten points. The buffalo had to make a sudden turn so as to not run into the zebra's carcass, and so Shairi saw her opportunity. She jumped up on the buffalo and upset his balance. The buffalo fell down and, now, all Shairi needed to do was bite down on its neck, making her another ten points richer.

"Sorry Shairi. Got a bit scared there. Almost reminded me of your deadly incident," Simba commented, getting up from his zebra kill. "The buffalo you were chasing when you died ran over a zebra carcass. It was a bit stupid of me to bring this zebra down with you right behind."

Shairi waved it off as if it was nothing. "Don't worry about it," she told him.

"Still can't remember what you did wrong?" Simba asked.

"Nope. Come on now, let's focus. The new zebra and buffalo are on their ways."

What Shairi didn't tell Simba, but what Simba could probably easily figure out for himself, was that this was probably the last time that they would get to have control of the track. Nala's team had been running around the track, logging a lap. Now, they were about to run out of the final turn, and soon they would get to line up in front of the prey-release point.

"I'll go for the buffalo this time," Simba told Shairi.

"You sure? I've been doing this for a while, Simba. I can take these things down pretty easily."

"So can I, now that you've taught me how. Trust me, I'll do fine."

"Okay…" replied Shairi, though a bit warily.

The zebra ran by first and Shairi gave chase. It was inevitable that she would succeed, and she used up little track in doing it. Shairi was now up to 161 points; tied with Simba and Elvis.

The buffalo walked by Simba and Simba gave chase. Once again, however, the buffalo would have to turn to run on by the zebra carcass in the middle of the track. This time, the buffalo went right…towards the outside of the track. Simba began to pursue it, but he was just chasing the buffalo closer and closer to the track's edge…

Shairi jumped up from her zebra kill and stood right in front of Simba, roaring loudly at him.

Simba was caught completely off guard. Shairi's actions were so unexpected and sudden, that Simba actually fell down onto the ground as he slid to a halt in the mud.

Simba looked up confused. Shairi took a deep breath.

"I'm sorry Simba, but I had to stop you chasing that buffalo," she stated. She gestured back towards the outside of the track. "You almost chased it into my sister."

Simba followed Shairi's paw. Indeed, not too far from where they were standing, Winda was still lying asleep on the outside of the track. Had Simba continued to chase the buffalo in the direction that they had been going, they almost certainly would have trampled over her.

Simba got back up onto his feet, horrified at what he had almost done.

"Oh gods Shairi, I'm so sorry…I just wasn't thinking clearly…" he apologized.

Shairi held her paw up, signaling Simba to stop. "It's alright. It happened. It's over. Lesson learned. Let's move on," she said. She looked over towards the prey-release point, where the new zebra had just been released. It looked like Nala was right about to take it down.

"We've lost control of the track," Shairi explained. "But thanks for the points, Simba. It did a lot to help us catch up. Come on, I'll take you over to meet my sister. She'll give you another chance. I think you and her should get off on the right foot."

* * *

The crowd cheered as Nala brought the zebra down, while Elvis and Lenny lined up in ambush and waited for the next.

"Alright, well you want to have a go at this zebra then?" Elvis asked Lenny, as a new one was released.

"Sure!" Lenny replied, as enthusiastic as ever.

Lenny ran out from ambush and gave chase. He used up a lot of track in doing so, but soon had the zebra down for ten points.

Elvis, Nala and Lenny were playing the traditional game of tic-tac-toe, right now, but it would be unlikely that they would be as successful as what Simba and Shairi's duo had. Shairi and Simba had gotten to play with all three pieces of prey so, when one had run off, they had still had more prey to play with. Also, their team had only consisted of two lions, meaning they didn't have to spread out the points across their team as much. Finally, but most importantly, since they had had so much prey available between them, they had been able to carry out their hunts with such efficiency that they had barely used up any track or energy. Once Elvis was done with his zebra chase, Nala's team was now already halfway towards Simba's team, and each of them had only gained ten points apiece. Soon, Shairi and Simba would have control of the track again.

* * *

This time, it was Shairi who shook Winda's shoulder, causing her to wake up.

Winda opened her eyes, but then quickly snapped them back shut.

"Mom, help me!" she called. "That ugly monster is outside my window again."

"For your information, sissy, I just saved your life."

Winda began spitting violently. She reopened her eyes and looked back up at her confused sister.

"Wait…you _didn't_ give me CPR, did you?"

Shairi rolled her eyes. Winda finally caught sight of Simba.

"Why hello again, King Simba," she called. "How's your day going? Still freaking out about Elvis?"

"A bit," Simba replied honestly. "Anyhow, I'd like to apologize again for assuming Shemshi was your boyfriend."

Winda chuckled. "No problem. I find it quite amusing honestly."

For the first time in a while, Winda made herself back up onto her feet.

"So," she said, "who made that one up, anyways? Huh?"

Simba smirked. "You're looking at her," he replied, looking over at Shairi.

_"You?"_

"I…eh…" Shairi began.

"She was jealous of you," Simba answered for her. "You've been hanging around Shemshi all game, that she was starting to think you two were in love. Truth is though, Shairi has a crush on him."

"Oh, this is precious!" Winda exclaimed. "And Shairi, I was starting to think you were asexual. But don't worry, having a boyfriend isn't so bad. And Shemshi's a good place to start. I don't think he cares too much about physical appearance."

Shairi exchanged glances with Simba.

"This is what I have to _live_ with," she said.

Simba chuckled. "I just find it funny that she's critiquing you on your appearance. You two look virtually identical, to me."

"Key word being _virtually,_" Winda emphasized. "Not completely."

Well, she had a point there. Both of the lionesses, when they weren't half-coated in mud, had golden-yellow fur. Both were of similar build with Shairi being a bit larger, while the top of Winda's head was a bit flatter than that of Shairi's, giving her a more feminine appearance. Also, Winda had a beauty spot on her muzzle, and she had green eyes while Shairi's were blue.

"Sometimes I get jealous of you, Winda," Shairi admitted. "I mean, you _have_ had four more boyfriends than I have. But then I feel bad for you, because you also have four more exes than I do."

"Eh, I get on well with my exes. Having an ex, in my case, is no different from having a lion that's not your boyfriend…which, I guess, for you, is every lion that's ever existed."

"Why did I wake you?"

"Cos you love me."

"If I loved you, I would've left you asleep, so that you could nurse that injured leg of yours."

Winda shook her leg around. "Seems good to me now," she replied. "So, I calculated…I think I have 110 points right now, does that put me down by a lot?"

"Eh…yeah…" Shairi admitted. "…Yeah…th—that's quite a lot…"

* * *

Nala was the first member of her team to run out after a zebra. As great of a huntress as Nala was, however, not all of her attacks went to plan. In this one, she started the chase too late, and the zebra ran into the vicinity of Simba, Shairi and Winda.

Winda ran out from ambush and took it down. The crowd let out a roar of approval as they realized that Winda was back in the game.

Nala lined up next to Simba and Shairi in ambush.

Back by the prey-release point, Elvis and Lenny were getting set up for the next hunt.

"Ah'll go for this zebra here, now, Lenny," Elvis proposed.

"Are you sure that's the best idea?" Lenny asked back. "I mean, I'm not any good at hunting buffalo, but yet Eboni and Guvu are about to fight for that buffalo down there. It's probably best for the team if I go for this zebra, and you get the new buffalo when it's released."

"Well, eh, Ah'm not going to argue with you then," Elvis replied, setting back down. "You seem to know what you're doing. Ah'll let you go for that zebra."

The new zebra walked out onto the circuit hesitantly, and was soon being chased by Lenny. His hadn't timed his chase to perfection either. In fact, he wound out running for the zebra all the way up to the point where it was ambushed by Shairi. Lenny lined back up on the outside of the track in defeat.

Now, it was time for Eboni and Guvu to fight over the buffalo again. Eboni was now leading the points, and she was well aware of the fact that Guvu had been playing her cleanly. Eboni respected that and, thus, when Guvu got up onto this buffalo's back first, Eboni knew she would likely be out ten points. Still, she jumped up on the buffalo's back with Guvu and tried as hard as she could, yet she didn't do anything dangerous like try and shove him off. Consequently, however, that meant she missed out on the ten points, as Guvu killed the buffalo and regained the points lead.

A new buffalo and zebra were released. As Lenny had suggested, Elvis went after the buffalo. His attack was much better timed than what Nala's and Lenny's had been. Still, it took him a little while to kill the buffalo, as the prey put up a brave fight. Eventually, however, he had it down on the ground, and he ran back over to the outside of the track to line up in ambush next to Simba and Nala.

"How you doing there, Mister Simba, Sir?" he asked.

"Alright," Simba replied. "I mean, I can't complain. It's not like I'm Juveda, you know? Man, I'd hate to be her."

Elvis and Nala glanced at Simba, both a little perplexed. What was he getting at?

"I mean, even if she didn't kill Peponi, if she was awake she probably knows how she died. That must suck, to be the only lion that knows that. I mean, she must be under a lot of stress, poor thing, with every one demanding to know what happened. Eventually I bet she's going to crack and just give in. That would suck for her, but, it would be good for us, I guess. She _does_ have a lot of points right now."

Lenny had brought down the zebra and a new one was released.

"You want to go for this one Elvis?" Simba asked. "I'll give it to you."

"Eh, yeah…that sounds good to me, sir," Elvis replied, still a bit bewildered by Simba's monologue. Elvis moved on out.

Now, it was just Simba and Nala left in ambush.

"Oh gods…um…geez…how to put this without being too harsh…um…eh…you know what, I'm not even going to bother," Nala said. "Just tell me."

"Well I just set Juveda up," Simba replied. "If Elvis really did kill Peponi, now he fears that Juveda will reveal it all. But don't worry, Juveda's smart. If she ends up being near Elvis, she'll know that he'll try and kill her. She'll be prepared."

"You'd better hope so," Nala snapped back. "But why did you even set her up in the first place?"

"Because," replied Simba, "I've got to try and make you believe me."

* * *

Elvis went after the zebra while Shemshi came running out of the final turn and homed in on the buffalo.

He used up a lot of precious track in chasing it, but soon had it down for ten points. He lined back up in ambush next to Shairi and Winda, while Elvis caught the zebra and lined back up in ambush farther on down the straight.

Winda saw that Shairi was standing in between herself and Shemshi, so she moved out her shoulder and pushed Shairi into him.

Shairi glared back at her sister, but she had no time to argue. She had already caught Shemshi's attention.

"How's it going, Shairi?" he asked.

"Oh…fine, fine," replied Shairi, turning back around to face him. "And you?"

"Well _I'm_ doing great. It's my teammates who keep getting injured," he explained. "They're not exactly making it easy for me."

"Well, you're more than welcome to join mine and Simba's team at any time," Shairi proposed. "The only other choice we have is Juveda."

Shemshi laughed. "Ah, you're both screwed then." He shook his head. "What a bitch."

"I can't say I've met her, to be honest," Shairi replied. "I'm sure it will happen eventually."

"Well, all I can say is hear, but don't listen," said Shemshi. "She'll probably insult you. She'll say a lot of things about you that aren't true."

"I'll bear that in mind. Thanks for the tip. Still, if you ever want to be on mine and Simba's team, let me know."

"Certainly," Shemshi replied. He crouched down. "Think I'm going to go for this buffalo here," he explained. "See you later."

"See you," Shairi replied.

Shemshi ran off.

"Mm…coming on a bit strong, aren't we?" asked Winda. "Why didn't you ask him as your teammate earlier?"

"I thought he was in love with you," Shairi replied. "I was trying to stay out of it."

Winda laughed. "How could you think that?" she asked back. "He hangs around with you twice as much as he does with me. I mean, you're more his age, too. I always thought that he and I were _good_ friends while you and him were _great_ friends. I just never knew you had romantic feelings for him."

Shairi was only listening to her sister through one ear. The rest of her focus was on Simba and Nala, who were racing against each other as they chased down the zebra.

"Can we talk about this later?" Shairi asked. "I think we need to be ready in ambush, in case these two miss."

* * *

Simba and Nala had competed against each other for zebra twice so far during the event. The first one had gone to Nala, while the second one had gone to Simba. Since both chases had ended with Nala being pushed off by Simba, Nala actually wanted to be the second up on the zebra's back this time. So, she let Simba have the first pounce.

Simba took it, and was quickly making short work of the zebra by clamping his jaw down on its neck. Nala jumped up onto the side of the zebra, which was already slowly making his way downwards towards the ground in a struggle for survival. Nala joined her mate in clamping her jaw down, and soon they both had the zebra down on the ground, dead. They both ran out towards the outside of the track to wait in ambush, still wondering who the zebra-killer had been.

When they arrived at their posts and turned around, they saw the track workers pointing over towards Nala. Nala smirked at Simba while the lion king just shook his head.

"Why didn't you shove me off?" Simba asked.

"Because I knew I would win," Nala replied. _"Real_ Siku Choka players don't _have_ to shove other lions off."

"How many points do you have now?"

"I…ooh…" Nala moaned, looking back on down the track. "We passed the scorekeepers stand during our run there, I actually wanted to check. I wanted to know what the rankings were."

"Well I can tell you that much," Simba replied. "You, Eboni, Shairi, Winda, Bilauri, Juveda."

"I thought Guvu was lea…oh wait, you're just ranking the females based on their looks."

"What more would you expect?"

"I'm just glad you remembered to put me first."

"I would've put Shairi second, but I didn't want to make you mad."

Nala shook her head. _"Why_ are we even talking about this?"

"Because we have to talk about something while we're waiting for that buffalo."

"Well why not let's talk about the buffalo?" Nala asked. "What are we going to do with it?"

"Chase it," Simba replied simply. He looked on down the track towards where they would be running. "We've got seven li…eh…" Simba stopped for a minute. He could have sworn that he'd just seen Juveda stir. Even though she had only had a short nap, there was a lot of activity happening on the track right now, and so Juveda would need to wake soon if she wanted her part of her fair share of points during this game. If she was awake, which, as Simba could now tell, she was, she could certainly be a threat regarding this buffalo. "…eh…yeah, just seven lions lined up in ambush after us," Simba lied. Perhaps it would work to his advantage if he knew about Juveda being awake, and Nala didn't.

"Eboni, Guvu and Elvis might try and join us in the hunt," Nala analyzed, also looking down the track. "Alright, well good luck Simba," she said, setting herself up to hunt the buffalo.

"Good luck," Simba replied.

The buffalo walked on by and the King and Queen of the Pridelands gave chase. They ran on by Shairi, Winda, Lenny, Eboni, Shemshi and Guvu, leaving just Elvis and Juveda left on the sidelines. Simba gave one check over towards the side of the track. He could tell that they were both getting prepared to chase after the buffalo, just in case Simba and Nala failed.

It was at that moment, that Simba realized what he needed to do.

Simba reached his leg out and tripped Nala over. Nala tumbled down into a heap on the ground. Simba began rolling over too, to make it look like a more realistic accident so that Elvis wouldn't be suspicious.

With both lions down on the ground, Elvis and Juveda set themselves up and, as the buffalo passed, they ran out of their ambushing posts.

Nala lifted her head out of the mud and looked over at her mate.

"What happened?" she asked him, not knowing that the incident had been intentional.

"Sorry Nala, I had to make it look like an accident."

"That was on _purpose?"_

"I have to make you believe me," Simba replied. "Look," he said, signaling over towards where Elvis and Juveda were chasing the buffalo.

Juveda was the first one up on the buffalo's back, with Elvis close behind. They ran into the first of the two long turns, throwing the buffalo's balance askew. Elvis saw his opportunity and growled as he closed in on the buffalo's hind legs. Then…he made his move…

Elvis jumped up onto the buffalo's back and landed right next to Juveda. Juveda was already biting hard down into the buffalo's neck, but she hadn't had a good landing, and a shove would easily upset her balance and cause her to fall off.

However, instead Elvis just bit down hard onto the buffalo's neck, and tried as hard as he could to kill the creature himself. The three creatures crashed into the slushy mud beneath them yards later, with the buffalo dead and the ten points awarded to Juveda.

Elvis tried to congratulate her, but the lioness had already taken off into a run after the antelope, which had been making its way along the backstretch nonchalantly this entire time. Elvis hadn't been able to congratulate Juveda, but he just shrugged his shoulders. He'd have some other time.

Nala glared at her mate, disappointed as she'd known those ten points could have easily been hers.

"Wow, that was a _real_ eye-opener, Simba," she said sarcastically. "A real eye-opener."

* * *

"What are the sisters doing?" Sarafina asked Tumaini, as they both continued to watch from the stands.

"Looks like they're stalling the prey," Tumaini replied. "But why…I don't know…"

"I think they're setting up a chase," Sarafina interjected, "yeah…this is a strategy Cheka made famous."

"Cheka?"

"Some old, famous Siku Choka player. From what I've heard, he played a lot like you."

"Ah, so he won a lot then?"

"Afraid not," Sarafina replied. "He got disqualified a lot. He was kind of out here to have fun more so than to win. Had he taken this game more seriously then, yeah, he probably would've won a couple. Got him in the top 30 though."

"Ah, so…you still haven't explained how this is setting up a chase," Tumaini noted.

"Well Shairi and Winda are both fast runners but both could do with a bit of energy right now, so they've walked halfway across the track and are now scaring the zebra, causing it not to want to walk any farther. Once the buffalo and the antelope are released, they'll catch up with the zebra, and then Shairi and Winda will let them all go, starting a chase for all three pieces of prey at the same time. Soon, they'll all be lined back up at the prey-release point."

"So…_why_ do they want to do that?" Tumaini asked.

Sarafina shrugged. "Guess Winda needs points," she replied. "They're going to have to wait for Juveda to…"

"Excuse me," said a lioness, interrupting them. "Hey…eh…sorry, don't mean to intrude, but my cubs would like your autographs, if that's okay?" she asked.

Sarafina and Tumaini both looked over towards where two excited cubs were each carrying a piece of bark in their mouths.

The two Siku Choka champions smiled back. Honestly, considering that you had to go back three years to find a Siku Choka champion other than one of themselves, they were surprised that this hadn't been happening to them more often.

"Certainly," Sarafina replied. The two excited cubs took that as an instant invitation and both went running up towards Sarafina. Sarafina placed her foot in the wet mud, soaking up her paw so that she could sign the bark.

"HEY EVERYBODY!" shouted a nearby flamingo, "SARAFINA AND TUMAINI ARE HANDING OUT PAWPRINTS!"

Seconds later, and a crowd of about a hundred had gathered around the two Champions.

"Oh boy," Sarafina commented to Tumaini, placing her paw on the bark, "this might take a while."

* * *

"Sure you don't mind doing this for me, sis?" Winda asked, as she and Shairi continued to pace the track perpendicularly, causing the zebra to cower back.

"Course not," Shairi replied, keeping half an eye on Juveda's antelope chase on the backstretch. Finally, Juveda caught up with the wounded antelope and brought it down for ten points. A new one was released on the front stretch. Soon, it would catch up with the zebra and the buffalo, and Shairi and Winda would let them by for the chase.

Farther back on down the straight, and members of the Ngorongoro Pride were starting to work out what was going on. They began shouting down the hills at their competitor: Bilauri.

Bilauri, however, was having the most wonderful dream.

_You know Cheka and Raia and Tunda and Uku…_

_ …Juni and Jino and Tumaini and Guvu…_

_ …but do you recall, the greatest Siku Choka competitor of all…_

"Bilauri!"

"Bilauri!"

"Wake up Bilauri!"

"Huh…wha—?"

"Bilauri, they're about to start a chase around the track, and you're lined up in the perfect position for ambush!" explained one of her pridemates, hoping that it would sink into her head.

It did, although it did take a minute. Bilauri got up to her feet and scanned the track, trying to figure out what was going on. Elvis and Juveda had just come running out of the final turn and had lined up with her in ambush. Much farther on down the track, and Shairi and Winda were getting ready to let the prey go, as the antelope had just about caught up.

"When the new prey is released," said one of Bilauri's friends again, "you, Elvis and Juveda are going to have control of the track."

"Why are the sisters doing this?" Bilauri asked aloud. "I mean, I know that speed is Winda's strong point, but it seems that Shairi's giving up a lot of points by doing this."

One of Bilauri's pride members just rolled her eyes. "Because she's _Shairi,"_ she reasoned.

"Good point," Bilauri replied.

The antelope was now starting to slow to a halt too, wondering what Shairi and Winda were doing.

"That's all three," Winda stated.

"Great," Shairi replied. She checked over her shoulder. Lenny, Shemshi, Eboni, Guvu, Simba and Nala were all ready to chase as well. "Let them go," she said.


	17. Chapter 17

**(A/N: I have mentioned before that I go through periods of time where I can't think of anything but the Siku Choka, and then I go through periods of time where I'm just not motivated to work on it. Unfortunately, this has been one of those times...and it still is. However, you guys have been patient enough that I have been able to work a pretty descent chapter together...so I hope you enjoy it. Hopefully I'll regain my mojo and get back to updating this regularly again soon, but there are no promises I'm afraid. Enjoy!)**

* * *

Nala and Shemshi got off to a better start than the rest of the pack, and they led them as they charged after the three pieces of prey through the turn. The zebra was out in front but, thanks to its lighter weight giving it an advantage in speed, the antelope soon ran ahead. Winda, Shairi and Lenny had all gone after the antelope while Nala and Shemshi remained set on the zebra.

This whole plan had been Winda's idea, and she was determined to make the most of it. She knew she would have to time her attack to perfection if she wanted to score ten points for the antelope and be back on her feet in time for the zebra or buffalo. As they exited the turn and the track straightened out, Winda made her move. She pounced up onto the antelope's back and then bit down hard on its neck. It was not for certain that she had done enough to kill the antelope, but Winda was willing to risk it. She let go and prepared herself to land on the ground which, giving the fact that she was still travelling along at a running pace, was easier said than done. Winda almost tripped over herself as she landed back on the Earth, so much in fact that it caught Nala off-guard, right as she had been about to make a move on the zebra. Shemshi saw his opportunity and took the zebra down instead, leaving just the buffalo left.

Winda checked over her shoulder to see where the buffalo was. She smiled as she saw the antelope that she had attacked fall down onto the ground, dead. However, getting the ten points for the buffalo wasn't going to be as easy: Simba was up on it.

Winda could tell that Simba had his claws pierced into the buffalo like daggers, but only on his right side. She could also tell that Simba was biting down on the buffalo's neck as hard as he possibly could, whilst ensuring that he did _not_ let go.

_He's using Shairi's tactics, Shairi must have taught them to him, _Winda realized. She smirked. _Good thing I'm her sister…she's taught me a lesson or two too, Simba…_

Winda allowed Simba and the buffalo to run on by, but she reached her paw out and brushed the buffalo's rear leg with it as he ran on by. The result was that the buffalo began to run faster, realizing that he now had a new threat from behind. Simba was caught off-guard…from what Shairi had told him, with everything that he'd been doing, the buffalo should have not been running fast now at all. Simba was beginning to slide back on the buffalo's back. It seemed that those ten points were becoming more and more elusive by the second. Then, just when he was about ready to let go and brace for a rocky impact on the ground, Winda jumped up and joined him on the buffalo's back. She was able to use all of her energy to pull herself as far up as she possibly could, and, consequently, was able to get a bite that was so efficient, it virtually killed the buffalo instantly. Winda had got her twenty points, while Shemshi had gotten ten. Three new pieces of prey had been released.

* * *

Juveda was the first competitor lined up in ambush. Personally, she didn't care much for hunting antelope. They used up too much energy. So, she let the antelope by. Up next was the zebra which, usually, she would have gone after in a heartbeat. However, this zebra looked exceptionally fit, and so Juveda wasn't too thrilled about the idea of hunting him either. Well, buffalo it would have to be. However, as the game wore on and the competitors began to grow more weary and tired, they were more prone to making bad judgment calls. Juveda had already made one here.

She lunged out from her ambushing post but mistimed her attack on the buffalo. She quickly gave in on the chase, not wanting to use up too much track and lose her optimal ambushing post. However, the damage was already done. She had chased after the _last_ piece of prey.

When the buffalo had begun running, it had let out a warning shriek. The zebra and the antelope, both being in front of the buffalo, now feared also that there was a threat from behind. All three pieces of prey broke out into a run. This was not good for Bilauri, Elvis or Juveda. Basically, it meant that these three pieces of prey, who were continuing to run as they were each in a state of panic, were now off to run around the track and down the backstretch…where the rest of the competitors were.

Each of the competitors on the backstretch stopped. They looked over at the three pieces of prey and were soon able to work out what all the commotion was about. Now, they each had a choice to make…and fortunately they had a lot of time to make it. Should they wait on the backstretch and get some of the points for this incoming prey, or should they use this free time to pace on around to the frontstretch and get set up in an ambushing post?

Shairi, Winda, Shemshi, Nala and Lenny liked the sound of the former idea, while Guvu, Eboni and Simba decided that it would be best to run on around the track and line up in ambush.

The good thing about having time to wait for the prey, however, was that you had time to change your mind. Once it became evident who was running and who was staying, Nala began to feel less confident in her decision. She would have four other challengers for just three pieces of prey at this point…it wasn't worth it. Nala took off into a run too, and hoped that she would still have time to get to the frontstretch before new pieces of prey were released.

* * *

"…but if no one's around to hear it," Timon argued back to Rafiki, "how could it possibly make a sound?"

"Well, dat's not de objective of de question," Rafiki answered. "It doesn't matter if nobody's around to hear de tree fall. De tree still makes a sound…whet'er it is heard but anyone or not."

"But how can you prove it?" Pumbaa asked.

"Ah dat's a good question," Rafiki replied. "And dat's what makes the original question so interesting, no?"

"No," Timon replied.

"Help! Save us!" exclaimed a lioness, running over towards them.

The group turned around to have a look at who it was. Their jaws dropped when they realized. They would've recognized this lioness any day, even if Sarafina hadn't been running on her hind heels.

Sarafina and Tumaini were both gasping for breath as they made their way up towards the group.

"We've been signing paw prints for about the last ten minutes straight," Sarafina explained. "I know it doesn't sound like a lot, but boy those fans can be demanding."

The group was still in awe. They had never seen Tumaini this close before. They had only ever watched her from afar and admired her accomplishments. Sarafina, having known Tumaini for a little while though, could not understand why her pridemates seemed to be at a loss for words.

"You guys okay?" she asked.

Pumbaa was the first one to respond, but not directly to Sarafina. Instead, he just closed his jaw and cleared his throat. "Tumaini," he addressed, "I know this is terrible timing but….can I have your autograph?"

* * *

Guvu, Eboni and Simba made their way out of the final turn and up towards the prey-release point. None of them could get much closer to the track entry than what Juveda was though, so they each had to line up in ambush a bit behind her. Simba, consequently, found himself lined back up next to Bilauri.

"Good morning Bilauri," Simba said, knowing that it must have passed midnight by now. In fact, it probably had passed at least an hour or two ago.

"Good morning Simba," Bilauri replied, letting a yawn escape. "How goes it?"

"Eh, we'll find out soon," said Simba, looking back over towards the backstretch, where the prey would soon be running into the clutches of the competitors that had stayed: Shairi, Winda, Lenny and Shemshi.

Simba took a deep breath. He had been thinking a lot about Shairi and the fact that she and him were both suffering in points. Well, if there was anyone to ask, who better than Bilauri, the Siku Choka boffin herself?

"Bilauri, just out of curiosity…is Shairi actually any good?" Simba asked.

"She's got a second and a third," Bilauri replied, "I'd say that's not too bad."

"But she's never won," Simba retorted. "What's stopping her? Wamariri said she would never win, Juveda said that the only thing that ever made her any good was her teammates, and Uku said she would never win either. I mean, if she's been so successful, surely she would be in the top 30 if she was actually a good huntress on her own?"

"She's not the best hunter, Simba," agreed Bilauri, "but that's not wins you Siku Chokas. If the Siku Choka crown was awarded to the best hunter on the planet then, I'm sorry, but give it to Guvu. However, that's not the way the game works. Guvu has weaknesses, and it's that competitor that can learn what those weaknesses are, expose them and work out how to get a step up above them that wins Siku Chokas. Shairi can do that. Now I confess, I too think she is a bit too generous at times. I mean, take what just happened with herself, Winda, and starting that chase around the track. There was nothing in that for her at all. If there's anything you could do for her, it would be to get her mind off of her sister. Personally I think that's one of the key things holding her back from winning. Watch this chase here, I guarantee you Winda will get points and Shairi won't, even though she oh-so-easily could."

Simba did as Bilauri told him and looked back over at the backstretch, but his view was briefly obscured as his mate ran on by him and lined up next to Elvis.

"We're going to have our work cut out for us here, aren't we?" Nala said as she arrived at Elvis' side. She was looking at Eboni, Guvu, Juveda, Simba and Bilauri lined up in ambush in front of them.

"Ah'm afraid so Ma'am," Elvis replied. "Ah couldn't help but notice you didn't get any points in the last chase there, Ma'am. Mind if Ah point out a couple of things yeh did wrong?" he asked.

Nala smiled back at him. "I'd be delighted," she replied. "I have a feeling we need to start helping each other. You know, critiquing each other…providing each other with tips."

"Well, personally Ah think you're stronger than you're think you are," Elvis suggested. "You seem to enjoy chasing after the zebra a lot, but Ah don't think you should have any trouble with buffalo. They have less lions going after them…perhaps you should give them a try."

Nala heaved a sigh. "Yeah, no, you're right," she confessed. "I thought about going for the buffalo in the last chase but…I just thought, with all those lions running around us, it was probably safer if I went for the zebra."

"Sometimes safety has to take a back seat," Elvis reasoned.

"I know…" Nala admitted again, but then she looked up into the stands.

_…but not when I have a daughter._

* * *

The three pieces of prey ran on by the four lions that had been waiting for them in ambush on the backstretch. Shairi, Winda, Lenny and Shemshi moved out. Shairi had timed her attack better than the others and so she found herself right on the antelope's hind legs.

"Shairi, I'm faster than you – I'll take the antelope, you go for the zebra!" Winda called, running up from behind her.

Shairi checked over her shoulder to see how close the zebra was to them.

Not too far…however, there was one teeny problem…

Lenny was already on its back.

While Shairi had been wasting time, looking over shoulder, Winda had ran on by her and was now up on the antelope's back. Meanwhile, Shemshi had the buffalo in his claws.

Winda, Shemshi and Lenny had all gotten ten points, while Shairi had got nothing.

"And all because she listened to her sister," Bilauri commented, standing next to Simba on the frontstretch. "Trust me Simba, get her away from Winda. That's your best shot."

Simba nodded in agreement, but he couldn't spend too much time talking with her. Three new pieces of prey had just been released. The duo crouched down.

"Good luck Bilauri," said Simba.

"Good luck," Bilauri replied.

* * *

"There you go, she's tiring out," said Tumaini, watching as Juveda ran out from ambush, only to watch the zebra run away from her.

"Think Simba's going to get it?" Sarafina pondered.

"No, Eboni should," Tumaini replied. Indeed, seconds later, the coffee-colored lioness ran out from her ambushing post and took the zebra down.

"That puts her back in the lead," Sarafina noted. "I think Guvu had been in front of her."

"And Shemshi," Tumaini noted. "He's really been coming alive recently."

"So the buffalo's coming next, who do you think is going to go for it?"

"Well Guvu will and Simba _might_ but…"

"Excuse me," Timon interjected, "must you commentate to _everything?_ We kind of want to watch the event ourselves – see how unpredictable it can become. Having you two just predict everything that's about to happen just makes it more boring."

"Well they're only predictions, Timon," Sarafina reasoned, "we could always be wro—"

"Oh look! We are!" Tumaini exclaimed.

Sarafina and Timon checked back out towards the track. Guvu, who had been the first lion left in ambush, had determined that it would not be worth it to chase the buffalo with so many other competitors around. Consequently, Simba had ran out after it…but he wasn't alone…

_Why's Nala competing against me when she had such a good ambushing post? _Simba wondered. _She should've stayed where she was – there was a lonely antelope on its way._

Simba was spending too much time thinking, however, and now his mate was already up on the buffalo's back. Knowing that he and Shairi were far behind on points, Simba pounced up onto the buffalo's back too, and reached for the back of its neck. Both lions had a mouth-full of buffalo flesh as the creature stumbled his way farther on down the straight, until he finally collapsed down into his final resting place.

Simba and Nala exchanged glances. Nala smiled.

"Great job teammate," she said. "I don't care which one of us got the points…one of us did. Score ten for the Pridelands!"

"But why did you even go for the buffalo though?" Simba asked aloud. "You had a beautiful ambushing post, surely there would've been easier pieces of prey."

"That's true," Nala admitted, "but Elvis suggested…I mean—I realized that perhaps…"

"Elvis suggested that you'd start hunting buffalo." It was more of a statement than a question.

"Yes, I—I mean…no…I mean…I had came up with the idea before, but then _when_ Elvis suggested it and…Simba…I know what you're thinking and it's not true!"

"How do you know that?" Simba snapped back. "Nala, Elvis just wants you to hunt buffalo because he wants to see you get hurt."

"Excuse me," a track worker interrupted them off from the side. Simba and Nala both looked over at him. "The ten points for the buffalo went to Simba," he informed them.

"Alright, thank you," Nala said back. The track worker turned around and walked off.

Nala glared back at her mate. "Simba, I've been watching this game my entire life. I've got a family to raise and a kingdom to help run…I'm only ever going to get to do this once. And I want to do it good. And that means that I've got to hunt buffalo. It also means that I _am_ going to take advice from Elvis _and_ I'm going to keep working with him, because we've both helped each other out a lot this game and I think he can help me win. Don't worry, I'll be on the lookout for anything suspicious and I stand by my promise that I'll help you in the final hour. But for now, let's please just drop it…let it go…okay sweetie?" she sung, trying to muster a smile at the end.

Simba sighed. How could he resist his mate when she looked at him like that?

He fixed his eyes on his mates' one final time. "Be careful," he said.

Nala let the sides of her mouth twitch. She nodded in agreement.

* * *

The antelope had just walked on by Guvu. Guvu, however, had no intentions of going after it, so Bilauri began to size it up instead. A zebra and the new buffalo were now on their ways towards Guvu, but so were Shairi, Shemshi, Winda and Lenny, who were all making their ways out of the final of the two long, left turns.

Thanks to it still being night, however, it was still rather hard for the competitors to tell where the puddles were and where they weren't.

As Shemshi ran, he placed one of his legs down in a deep, soggy puddle exiting the turn. As he began to lift his leg back up to take the next stride, it got pulled down by the mud and trapped inside the puddle, throwing Shemshi off balance and causing him to slam down onto the floor, bending his paw back.

From the spectator's standpoint, it looked like nothing. That was…until Shemshi let out a deafening roar, which signaled to everyone else that he was in pain.

Back at the ambushing posts, Bilauri face palmed herself.

"Why can't our team stay out of accidents?" she asked aloud.

However, Bilauri didn't have any time left to wait for an answer. The antelope had just passed on by her and it was now time for her to give chase.

Meanwhile, Guvu was crouching down as low as possible, trying to make the zebra and the buffalo oblivious of the fact that he was there, waiting in ambush for them.

The crowd, meanwhile, had grown tired of seeing Guvu dominate throughout the years, and so they were hollering as loud as possible, trying to cause the two pieces of prey to cower back.

It was working. Guvu groaned as he realized what this meant. He would have to go after the zebra.

Shairi was making her way down towards the prey-release point now, and she knew Guvu too well. Guvu only liked hunting buffalo. And so, with Guvu having as great of a points lead as he did, it would be in Shairi's best interest to take the buffalo down, forcing Guvu to go for the zebra.

Bilauri was up on the antelope's back farther on down the straight and took it down to the ground right at the time that Shairi pounced onto the buffalo's back. Guvu gave chase on the zebra…but he had mistimed it! Guvu quickly gave up the chase and allowed the zebra to be taken down in Elvis' claws.

Bilauri, Shairi and Elvis were now all ten points richer, while Lenny and Winda were now running out from the final turn, homing in on the three newly released pieces of prey.

* * *

"You're kidding me, right?" Simba asked, watching his mate run her tongue over the end of her paw.

Nala stopped washing herself and looked over towards her mate. "You've got a problem with this?" she asked.

"You're just going to get dirty again. I don't think the fans care too much about which competitor looks the cleanest."

"I'm a female, Simba. We have hygienic standards."

"Apparently so."

Nala chuckled. "Seriously though, there is a practical reason to why I'm doing this. All this dried-up mud is weighing me down. Might as well get rid of it. It'll be easier for me to run."

"Well, in that case, do you need help with the hard-to-reach parts?"

Nala shot a disapproving look at him.

"I figured," Simba replied. "Still, if you change your mind, let me know."

"Perhaps you should think about getting that mud out of your own mane. I'm sure it would help."

"It would," Simba confessed, "but it looks like Winda and Lenny are about to score some points here. I would rather watch that, for now."

Nala shrugged her shoulders. "Suit yourself," she said, lifting her rear leg up and bending over to wash it.

"Then again," Simba decided, turning back to face his mate, "this is a rather interesting spectacle too. I think I'll watch you."

Nala sighed and shook her head. "Males," she muttered.

* * *

The three pieces of prey had broken out into a run. The antelope and the buffalo were now too far in front for Winda or Lenny to even consider going after them. So, instead, they both homed in on the zebra. This left Shairi and Guvu free to target the buffalo and the antelope.

The prey ran on by Guvu first. The two-time champion timed his attack perfectly, and he was now right on the buffalo's hind legs. Therefore, when the prey ran on by Shairi, she had no choice but to go for the antelope.

Shairi and Guvu would both turn out to be successful in their respective hunts. The more intriguing thing, as far as the spectators were concerned, was who would get the zebra? Winda or Lenny.

Most bets would have gone towards Winda and, indeed, she was the first up on the zebra's back. However, Lenny felt that he had been pushed around long enough, and so he wasn't just about to give up. He jumped up onto the zebra's back too and clamped his jaw down on the back of its neck. Winda, mistakenly believing that this would've been an easy ten points for her, hadn't done as good of a job on her attack, and now she was regretting it.

Lenny brought the zebra down to the ground, and Winda ran back towards the outside of the track where she would be lined up in ambush next to Juveda. Having missed out on those ten points, Winda was very upset and angry, and she needed to vent.

"Some cooperation," Winda said sarcastically, "you'd think sisters and teammates would be there to help you after you'd had an injury such as I'd had…but no, they just go running on as if it wasn't any of their business. Shairi knows that if she'd get injured – I'd be there to help her catch up! Why didn't she try and halt the antelope and buffalo for us? We could've taken ten points away from Lenny and Guvu easily."

Juveda swished her tail around, annoyed. "My, you are one whiny bitch, you know that?" she replied. "I haven't had one single teammate all day…but you don't see me crying about it, do you? You should be grateful that that sorry sister of yours would even consider helping you out, you sore, spoiled brat," she spat.

Now, normally, one would have worked out that Juveda was not one worth arguing. However, Winda was rather sensitive, yet she was always one who tried her hardest to cover it up. So, she argued back.

"Excuse me," Winda replied, "but I am not spoiled and I am not a brat! I do a lot to help out my home pride you know. I'm one of their best hunters after all! So you just shut your filthy trap, because you're wrong! If you don't have a teammate out here, that's only because you're too unkind and unhelpful and you just don't want to be around anyone, so bugger off!"

Shairi could hear her sister's voice raising from on down the straight, so she turned towards her to see what was going on. She worked it out almost immediately, and quickly face palmed herself.

"No, no, Winda, don't pick an argument with Juveda," she said to herself, "she's not worth it…just leave her be."

Her sister, however, couldn't even hear her, and so the shouting match between her and Juveda continued.

Shairi sighed.

"Don't worry about her," came a familiar voice from behind her.

Shairi whirled around. "Oh, hello Simba," she said. "I didn't even realize you were there."

"That's alright," Simba replied. "Seriously though, just leave your sister be. The more you try helping her out, the more _we_ fall behind on points. And we can't afford to do that, Shairi. I don't know about you but I don't plan on ever doing this again. If we want to win today, we're going to just have to let your sister go. She's still young, she'll be able to do this again. Today's just not her day, I'm afraid."

"Well ideally I'd like for her and I to both do well," Shairi confessed, "b—but you're right…to an extent. I mean…thanks for the input. It _is_ something that I've considered, but…"

"But nothing, Shairi. Seriously, forget about her. You want me to tell you what you're doing wrong; this is it. You're paying too much attention to her game, and not enough to yours. You want to win, don't you?"

"Yes, of course I do, but—I mean, no…no…you're right," Shairi finished. She took another sigh. "I guess I just need to man up and tell her that she's on her own, now. Sometimes I just don't feel that I have the heart to do that. She takes these little things so seriously."

"Well then sucks to be her," Simba stated. "You've done more than anyone could ever ask of their older sibling, Shairi. You've gave her hints, you've helped her catch up. Now, you've just got to move on and worry about _your own game."_

Shairi's eyes were still affixed on her sister, who was still arguing with Juveda. However, she could hear Simba, and she was listening, and she knew he was right. Shairi turned back around to face him.

"Alright teammate," she said, "what do you think we should do now then?" she asked.

"Well it looks like everyone's just waiting in ambush," Simba replied. "So I guess we just rest for a bit, and then give chase when the time arrives."

"Sounds good to me," replied Shairi, lifting her paw up and starting to wash it.

Simba rolled his eyes. "Females," he muttered. He looked on farther down the straight to study the order that they were all lined up in ambush: Lenny, Winda, Juveda, Eboni, Guvu, Bilauri, Elvis, Shairi, himself and Nala.

Simba looked back over at Shairi, with the intention of asking her if she thought Shemshi's injury was going to do him in for the game. However, Shairi seemed more preoccupied right now with cleaning the mud off of her rear legs.

Simba was waiting for her to finish, so then he could ask her. It never even occurred to him that his eyes had been affixed on her the whole time. Shairi finally caught onto the fact.

"Excuse me," she snapped at him, "there are plenty of others around here to look at who _aren't _taking baths."

"Oh, right, um, sorry…"

Shairi groaned. "Males," she muttered.

Simba turned back to face Nala…who was still cleaning herself.

Simba groaned. "Females," he muttered.

Nala smiled and shook her head, amused at all the commotion her mate was causing.

"Simba," she muttered.


	18. Chapter 18

**(A/N: Thanks for all the reviews last chapter, guys. Here's a bit of a long chapter as a reward. I would say "enjoy!" but I don't know if that's the right word to use considering how this chapter ends...)**

* * *

Shemshi limped his way around the outside of the track. He was in too much pain to even attempt to place his injured paw on the ground, and so it was at a sluggish pace that his three good legs were carrying him down the frontstretch.

Shemshi had gotten a lot of sleep at the beginning of the event and, consequently, he had been very active since and was now sitting on 259 points: third place; ten points behind Guvu.

Unfortunately for Shemshi, this injury couldn't have come at a worse time for him. It had happened in the second of the two long left turns, whereas his pride was sitting on the backstretch. Thus, he would virtually have to limp around an entire lap before he could sleep in front of his home pride. But even then, sleeping wasn't exactly the most desirable of activities right now, considering Shemshi's strategy. He still had a fair amount of energy in him, and there were still a few hours of darkness left until the sun would poke above the horizon and the rest of the competitors would fall asleep. Shemshi was rattling his brains, trying to figure out a quick-fix strategy that wouldn't put him too far behind in points.

"Hey, Shemshi!" called a voice down from the stands.

The injured lion looked up into the crowds and caught sight of a lioness that was staring down at him.

"I'm from the Ngorongoro Pride, I'm one of Bilauri's friends. You can fall asleep here if you want, we'll wake you. You are Bilauri's teammate, after all."

The sides of Shemshi's mouth twitched. This was the perfect opportunity for him! Now that he didn't have to limp all the way around the track before he got to his pride, he could fall asleep quicker and recover quicker, and hopefully still be able to score some decent points before daytime.

"Well thanks a lot, Miss," Shemshi replied, lying down on the ground. "Sure you don't mind?" he asked.

"Of course not," the lioness replied back. "It should work to Bilauri's advantage too. When do you want us to wake you?"

At the thought of sleep, Shemshi let out a long yawn before replying. "I don't know. One, maybe two, hours. Whenever the leader…probably Guvu…has 300 points. I really don't know, though…actually…you know what, just ask your friend Bilauri," he finally decided. He let out another yawn. "She seems to take the role of head strategist pretty well."

* * *

The crowd got up on their feet. They could tell that another run around the track was about to begin. The prey walked on by Lenny and Winda and they gave chase.

"Lenny, stay!" exclaimed a voice from the side.

Lenny didn't recognize whose voice it was at first, but he decided to slow down to play it safe. He looked over and discovered that, not too surprisingly, it had been Elvis telling him what to do.

"Nala, you might want to stay here too," Elvis called over to the Prideland Queen.

Despite the thundering of the hooves and the hollering of the crowds, Nala was able to hear Elvis's deep, dreamlike voice. So, she obeyed, and the three teammates stood and watched as the rest of the competitors took off into a run.

"You see now, they're all going to give us, eh, new pieces of prey to chase," Elvis explained, signaling over towards the rest of the competitors.

Nala and Lenny understood. Evidently, Elvis believed that this was a good time to group their team together and play some team games such as tic-tac-toe. Well, who were they to argue? It was too late to decide against it now, anyhow. The rest of the competitors had already run far away.

When the prey ran as a pack, the chases would usually last a little while longer. This was for two reasons. First of all, the competitors were more cautious about making moves on any piece of prey while other lions and prey animals were around. With so much thunderous traffic around, a bad move could potentially have much more disastrous consequences. Secondly, when there were lots of prey and predators in one space, the traffic made it harder for the competitors to time their timing, running, and attack to perfection, and so usually the prey would have an extra leg up on them.

For these reasons, all three pieces of prey were still alive by the time the group of seven lions had chased them to the backstretch.

The antelope was leading, and Shairi was right on its hind heels with her sister, Winda, behind her.

"Shairi, I think I've got some extra energy in me!" Winda exclaimed. "I'll charge and get the antelope. You go for the zebra!"

Shairi groaned.

_Sorry sis,_ she thought to herself, _that didn't quite work last time…_

Instead, this time Shairi put on her own extra burst of speed. Within seconds, she was up onto the antelope's back and had brought it down dead for a set of her very own ten points.

Since she was in front of the zebra, Winda decided to slow down her pace and let the zebra pass. As the herbivore did so, Winda made her move…right at the same instant that Bilauri decided to attack from behind. The two teammates knocked heads in mid-air as they leapt up onto the zebra. Consequently, they both lost their balance and rolled back down onto the ground. Simba saw his opportunity and jumped onto the zebra's back, taking the striped animal down for ten points.

Meanwhile, the buffalo was just about to lose his chase. Juveda had fallen off the pace but Eboni and Guvu were right on his hind legs. It was the two time champ, however, that was able to keep up his pace the best, and Guvu was soon able to boost his points tally up to 280.

Meanwhile, Winda and Bilauri had both gotten up from their head-slamming incident and they were making their ways over towards where Shairi had the antelope in her claws, and Simba had the zebra in his.

"Okay Winda…seriously…what are you trying to prove?" asked Bilauri, still rubbing the sore spot on her head. "You just cost us both a shot a ten points…you realize that, right? I thought we were teammates."

"I'm sorry Bilauri," Winda said apologetically, "but I wasn't aware that you were after the zebra. I was in front of it the whole time. It probably would've been safer if I had gone for the antelope…._Shairi."_

Shairi sighed and stood up from her kill. "Winda…I love you, I really do. You know that…but…I—I can't just lie down and give you all my points."

"What do you mean?" Winda retorted. "Shairi, we're sisters. We're meant to be helping each other."

"Yes, Winda, you are my sister, but that doesn't mean we should be helping each other," Shairi replied. "It's our _teammates_ that we're meant to be helping. Although, I confess, I would…no offense Simba…I would rather see you, Winda, win, than I would like to see Simba win…I've got to help Simba, because that is who is most beneficial to me in playing _my_ game and helping _me_ win."

Winda raised an eyebrow. "So egocentric," Winda replied. "Shairi…come on now, you've always been about having fun in this game…not about winning. Where's the fun in breaking up family ties?"

"Oh, for heaven's sake Winda," Bilauri interjected. "Are you even listening to a word your sister is saying? She's right, you know. We love you, you're a great sport, and we would like to see you win, but it's a damned old pain having to work with you!" Bilauri exclaimed. "I'm sorry Winda, but I think I've got to cut up the ties too. You're just playing it way too risky today and it's not helping me at all watching you and Shemshi get injured again and again and again." At this, Bilauri looked over at Simba. "Simba, I—I've made a decision…and I hope you're okay with it…but I would like to be on your and Shairi's team. I know you both took a blow earlier when you lost Tonka…I feel pretty confident in my tactical abilities in this game, and I believe I could be beneficial to your team."

"Well…" Shairi pondered.

"No," Simba replied simply.

The rest of the group turned to look at him. Simba was still lying down on top of his kill. He had been silent and unmoving the whole time, yet his answer had been flat and firm. The lion king finally stood up.

"Shairi's right, Bilauri," Simba stated. "She's been right the whole time. We work well together. She's taught me a lot about this game, and I've taught her a lot about herself. The tips you've given me have been helpful but, honestly, I don't think I need them anymore. I feel guilty that I don't really have much to provide you with in return…other than the fact that I believe you should reconsider breaking ties with Winda. You three seem to make a good team…you just need to settle down for a minute and sort out your differences, that's all. As for Shairi and I, we're fine, and we're going to be a team of two until the end. Sorry…but that's just the way it's got to be, if either of us are going to win today."

Bilauri and, to an extent, Winda, both held an enormous amount of respect towards Simba, and so neither were keen on the idea of arguing with him. Both of them were smart enough to recognize the fact that they were both tired, they were both a bit mad, and they were both a bit sore after the incident that they had just had, and so perhaps they were, given the current circumstances, a bit prone to making bad decisions.

Still, Winda had her lips tightly pursed.

"Fine then," she stated. "If that's the way it's going to be, then I guess it's adios amigos." She turned to face Bilauri. "Come on _teammate,"_ she snapped at Bilauri, "even if you don't want to call me that. Let's get a move on."

Winda began to move off. Bilauri followed grudgingly, but without much hesitation. When they were out of earshot, Shairi turned to face the Prideland King.

"This is what I have to…"

"…live with? Yeah…I figured."

Shairi smiled. "Thanks for helping out with that. I feel bad…but…I mean…well…you said it yourself, I don't know if I'm going to do this ever again. And Winda's right too, this game's meant to be about fun…not about winning. But…being out of the top 30, coming so close to winning without ever having won, and the possibility that this may be my final _ever_ Siku Choka…yeah, I'm sorry…but I'm here to win. You really _believe_ we can do it, Simba?"

"I don't ever recall saying anything about _you_ winning," Simba answered back with a grin, "I was just thinking about _me."_

Shairi shook her head. "Yeah…" she replied, "…we'll see about that…"

* * *

After his buffalo kill, Guvu had walked across to the outside of the track and had gone for a nap in front of the crowd. Since he still had a pretty large fan base, he felt confident that there would be someone in the stands helpful enough to give him a call when the time was right for him to wake up.

Meanwhile, Nala's team had control over the prey-release point, and they were ready to play tic-tac-toe.

"I'm feeling good on energy," Nala stated, "I'll go for the antelope if you two don't want to."

"Well Ah'm wondering if we should let Lenny go for it," Elvis suggested. "Ah mean, he's a fast runner too and I think you should be going for the buffalo, Ma'—Nala."

The antelope passed on by them.

"Well, you up for it, Lenny?" Nala asked.

"Not really," Lenny confessed.

"Now come on, Lenny, Ah think we should be giving Misses Nala a break…"

"No, Elvis, seriously…I'm fine. I can go for the antelope."

"But Ah think you should be practicing on the buffalos, Ma'am."

"Eh, I think that it's too late now," Nala replied, crouching down. "Two more seconds and this antelope will be out of my range. A Little Less Conversation, A Little More Action…that's what we need right now."

Nala didn't give Elvis a chance to answer back. As soon as she finished up talking, she took off and was in hot pursuit of the antelope. A fairly disgruntled Elvis knew what this meant: he was going to have to go for the buffalo. It was well-known that Lenny didn't hunt buffalo, and so it was no surprise when he took off in pursuit of the zebra, leaving Elvis on his own at the prey-release point. Seconds later and the buffalo went by, and Elvis started off in hot pursuit.

Nala and Lenny were both successful in their hunts. The Pridelanders cheered from the frontstretch as they watched their Queen bring the antelope down dead right in front of their pride. Cheers could also be heard around the track when Lenny brought the zebra down. More and more spectators were now cheering for Lenny. They were slowly beginning to realize that he could, after all, turn in to be a threat for this thing.

However, Elvis's hunt was much less successful, much to the dismay of about half of the lionesses in the stands. The young lion was able to get himself up onto the buffalo's back, but he was never able to find the perfect balance and, consequently, had to accept defeat in a dusty _crash_ onto the ground a couple of hundred yards later.

Elvis stood back up and shook the mud out of his mane, watching the buffalo run off into the distance. Nala walked up next to him and watched too.

"You going to go after it again?" she asked.

Elvis shook his head 'no.'

"Too large, I'm afraid, Ma'am. Not worth the effort. We still have control of the track for the next antelope and zebra though."

"That's not good enough," Nala replied sincerely. "Elvis, Guvu is the next lion around the track. He's dominating this game…we can't let the buffalo go around and become his."

"Well Ah suppose you should go after it, then."

"And why not _you?"_ asked Nala, with a frown. "I got the antelope, I've got much more points than you. You're telling _me_ to get better at hunting buffalo when you can't even bring that one down yourself?"

Elvis cocked an eyebrow. This was a different Nala than the one he had been getting used to this game. Still, she had a fair argument.

"Well al'ight Ma'am, I'll tell you what Ah think should happen then. I'll help out with you and Lenny, ambushing the rest of the antelope and zebra until the other competitors come around. Then, eh, once we lose control of the track…I'll go after the buffalo. That sounds like a good compromise, Ah would say."

Nala smiled faintly. "Yes," she admitted, "yes it does."

* * *

For several more minutes, Nala's team continued to play tic-tac-toe, using their positions on the course to their strategic advantage. However, Elvis continued to play the wrong cards while Lenny and Nala continued to play the right ones. Both the Pridelands Queen and the weak Majani lion found themselves with twenty extra points each whereas the Dixieland hunk had failed to improve on his points tally at all.

To make matters worse for Elvis, Eboni and Juveda had just made their way out of the final turn and were now in control of the track. Or so they would have been, if Eboni hadn't just wandered over towards the sidelines to communicate with her pride mates.

The Eastlands lionesses got onto their feet as their friend approached the outside of the track, panting.

"Guys, I'm exhausted," she stated. "I've got to rest."

"You can't rest Eboni, you have much more energy than what the other competitors out there do. Look at that lioness you were just running with, Juveda. Man, she was breaking sweat just trying to keep up with you…and you were only running at a trot, really."

"But that's the best I can do," Eboni retorted. She lied down. "I'm sorry guys, I've got to rest."

"Look…Eboni…" interjected another one of her pride mates. "The buffalo on the track is on its way towards Guvu. He may look like he's napping, but he'll still get it. When he does, a new buffalo will be released, and, honestly, you're the only one here who's good enough to take it."

Eboni shrugged. "Okay," she said, closing her eyes. "Wake me up when he's got it then. That sounds like a fair compromise, no?"

Her pride mates smiled and shook their heads.

"We'll be waking you up before you even know it."

* * *

"Juveda's in control," Nala noted. She turned to face Elvis. "Alright, Elvis, we made a compromise. Go get that buffalo. Or…at least, make sure Guvu doesn't get it."

Elvis nodded. "Don't worry, Ma'am," he replied. "He won't."

* * *

"Simba, let's wait here," Shairi stated, holding her paw out in front of the lion king. The pair had just stopped short of the prey-release point. Juveda was stalking the antelope and the zebra farther on down the frontstretch. "Let's let Juveda get these two. Then, after that, we ambush only zebra…just like earlier, okay?"

"You haven't given me reason to doubt you so far."

Shairi smiled. That was a good enough response for her. "Come on," she stated. "Let's wait over by the outside of the track."

Simba followed the golden colored lioness, and they both parked themselves opposite the prey-release point. Once they were there, Simba scanned the track with his eyes to get a better idea of what was going on.

"Elvis is going after the buffalo," he observed. "Reckon he'll get it?"

"Probably," Shairi confessed. "He's one of the smarter competitors. My sister worked quite close with him during the last Siku Choka…she taught him my three buffalo tricks, so I know he knows that much."

"You need to come up with a new trick then," Simba suggested. "So…_why_ were you not in Siku Choka 26?"

"One word. Three letters. First and last letters are 'M,' and there's an 'o' somewhere in the middle."

"Ah."

"Yah. Fortunately I was able to persuade her otherwise for this year." Shairi sighed. "Family, huh? They certainly put pressure on you here. Have you noticed, at all, if you've been playing any different on the frontstretch, when you're on show in front of your home pride?"

"Eh, to an extent," Simba confessed. He frowned. "How did you know my pride was on the frontstretch?"

"Well that's where you keep going to sleep," Shairi reasoned. "Also, it's where you were watching from last time the Siku Choka came here, so I figured it was a safe guess."

"But…I thought you said you didn't remember Siku Choka 25?" Simba stated.

At first, Shairi didn't know how to respond. Simba was right; she had said that. However, she also vaguely remembered seeing Simba and Nala's faces up in the stands on the frontstretch two years ago. She tried her best to rattle her brains and see if she could remember anything else related to that moment…but it was to no avail.

She shook her head and smiled. "I guess I remember some things," she replied.

"Hmm," Simba said back. However, his attention was now homed in on something else: "Looks like Juveda's about to get the zebra," he stated. He crouched down. "Let's get ready, Shairi," he stated.

The Lionrock lioness crouched down too. "I'm ready for it," she replied.

* * *

"He's just lying there," said Kulia, beaming. She was sitting next to her twin sister, Elsa, and their much-younger sister, Faye.

"What's so great about him?" asked Faye in her high-pitched voice. "He looks old."

_"That, _Faye, is no ordinary old lion. Guvu is _the_ strongest, greatest and most fearsome lion of all time!" exclaimed Elsa.

"Shh, quiet Elsa. I see Elvis and the buffalo coming," said Kulia.

"Shouldn't we wake Guvu?" asked Faye. "I mean, he's sitting right in front of us."

"He's already awake," Elsa reassured her younger sister. "See…look…you can see his eyelids flickering."

Kulia sighed. "Oh, his eyes are so warm," she noted. "I really wish he could have them open more often."

"He will in a minute, Kulia. You just watch. He'll get this buffalo down, here."

Suddenly, a round of applause picked up on the other side of the track. Juveda had just brought the zebra down, while the antelope had gone and ran off down the straight. Juveda may still not have been popular, but every successful hunt was worthy of an applause, no matter who you were. Also, for Shairi and Simba fans, this was something worth applauding too as it now meant that, with the newly-released zebra, they could put their plan into action.

"Ladies first," Simba reasoned.

Shairi smiled and ran out from her ambushing post. The Siku Choka veteran had no difficulty in bringing down the zebra, and now a new one was released for Simba.

Though less experienced than what Shairi was, Simba was able to bring his zebra down just as efficiently, and he lined right back up next to Shairi in ambush.

Meanwhile, farther on up the frontstretch, Bilauri and her team were trying their best to figure out their new strategy…and so sort out their differences.

"Look, Shairi and Simba aren't going to have control of the track forever," Bilauri reasoned. "Let's just wait until they've done their next chase or two. Then, once they've worked their way far away from the prey-release point, we'll go over and take over control of the track. Sound good, everyone?"

"Yes, Professor Backstab," Winda replied.

"Sounds good," replied Shemshi, sticking his thumb up and yawning. "Can I go back to sleep now, though? I've still got an injury."

"Shemshi…." Bilauri moaned.

"Come on, Bilauri, let's be honest. I've got much more points than both of you. Once you two catch up, then come and wake me. Shairi and Simba have been working quite well in a team of two, there's no reason you and Winda can't too."

"He's got a point, Bilauri," said Winda, backing up her friend.

"Oh goodness," Bilauri cried. "It's so hard for me to help out you two lovers when you just keep meshing together and shooting down everything that I say!"

_"Lovers?"_ asked Shemshi, exchanging glances between Bilauri and Winda.

"Um…Bilauri…that's just a rumor Shairi started up. Shemshi and I aren't dating," Winda explained, a bit embarrassed for each of them.

"Oh…well…um, sorry. But why would Shairi…?"

"You know what, Bilauri, just go ahead and ask _her._ It will be easier that way," Winda replied. "Look, let's do as Shemshi says, Bilauri. Let's let Simba and Shairi have one more zebra each, then we move up and take over from the prey-release point. Lenny and Nala are lined up for the antelope and Elvis or Guvu should get the buffalo soon, so we're bound to have plenty of prey to choose from."

Bilauri sighed. "Alright…alright," she said, finally giving in. "Shemshi, enjoy your z's. Winda, come with me. We've got a job to do."

* * *

"Go get the antelope, Lenny," said Nala.

"Really? I mean…didn't we just discuss this? Antelope really aren't my thing, Nala. They run too fast and they don't taste good."

Nala rolled her eyes at the last part. "Lenny, you can do this," she stated. "Trust me, you have speed."

"If you think I can do it, then why did you argue against me doing it the first time? I mean, Elvis said let me hunt the antelope, then you said I didn't have to if I didn't want to. Now you're going back on that though, aren't you? I mean, now, _you're_ the one telling me to hunt the antelope instead of…"

"Lenny."

"…yes Nala?"

"You can do it. I have faith in you. The only reason I volunteered for the last antelope was because I didn't want to go for the buffalo."

"Oh…" Lenny replied, albeit a bit confused. "…ah well…I mean…I guess…but you don't have a problem with hunting buffalo, do you? Why did you make Elvis go for it?"

Nala bit her lip before replying. "That's a long story," she finally said. She then pointed over towards the antelope. "Now," she added, changing the subject, "…go fetch."

* * *

Three chases were going on.

Shairi was going after the zebra, which was easier done than said. The zebra didn't stand a chance and now Simba was the next competitor lined up in ambush for the next zebra. Once he took that down, Bilauri and Winda would take over control of the track at the prey-release point.

Lenny was going for the antelope. This chase was a little harder than Shairi's one. This antelope was middle-aged but very light, enabling it to run very fast. On a different day, Lenny would have never even considered going after this antelope. But, thanks to Nala egging him on, Lenny was running with a newfound sense of confidence, and he was able to get the antelope down.

The final chase was Elvis and the buffalo. However, Elvis was still not keen on the idea of even attempting a move on this beast. It was excessively large and it would take more than one lion to bring it down. Also, if Elvis made a move now and failed, the buffalo would almost certainly run into the clutches of Guvu in ambush. For now, his best choice was to just follow the buffalo around until they got back up to the frontstretch.

Meanwhile, the newly released zebra had made its way up to Simba and it was time for him to give chase. Unfortunately for Simba, Shairi was now lined up after Juveda in ambush, and so Simba may soon find himself with competition if he didn't get this zebra down soon.

Bad luck struck Simba at just the wrong time though, as he had mistimed this attack terribly and it looked like Juveda would soon have this zebra in its claws. However, as everyone had already figured out, Juveda was suffering from a lack of energy, and so she mistimed her attack too. But, Juveda was able to find an extra spurt of speed in her. Consequently, she soon was able to find herself on the zebra's hind heels. She pounced…but fell short. Her claws were gripped onto the zebra's sides and her teeth were embedded in its back. As she continued to try and pull herself up and slow the zebra down, Simba closed in. However, he was unable to find an angle to pounce from that would not risk putting Juveda in danger of being hit by the zebra's hooves. As a result, Simba was never actually able to make a move, as Juveda was soon able to find some extra strength to pull herself up farther onto the zebra's back and then deliver the fatal bite on the neck. Simba stopped running and walked up next to her.

"Nice job," he said, congratulating her.

Juveda just frowned. "Why didn't you pounce?" she asked. "I'm assuming it's because you thought it would look bad on you if you put me in danger. Perhaps you think I'll think better of you now that you helped save my skin. Fat bloody chance. I still don't think any better of you than the rest."

Simba shrugged. "Honestly," he replied, beginning to walk away from her, "I didn't expect you too."

Juveda just stared and glared at him as he walked off. "Simba," she called, just before Simba returned to his ambushing post. Simba turned around and looked over towards her. He knew she was about to say something to him. Could it possibly be that she was about to thank him?

"Remember when Tumaini was leading?" she asked.

"Yeah…" replied Simba, not really sure what Juveda was getting at.

"Know who's leading now?"

* * *

"Guvu's still leading," Kulia reminded her friends, as they watched Elvis stalk the buffalo down the backstretch.

Elsa gasped. "Look!" she exclaimed, "you can see his eyelid's opened…"

Indeed, Kulia and Faye soon found out, it did seem that Guvu did have an eye open, and he was trying his hardest to lure Elvis into a false sense of security as he and the buffalo passed on by them.

"Three…" Guvu mumbled, under his breath, "…two…one…"

Right as the buffalo passed on by, Guvu sprung up onto his feet and gave chase. The crowd roared to life: they were about to watch the two strongest players in the game duke it out over one excessively large buffalo.

Guvu, thanks to his powernap, had more energy than Elvis right now and, consequently, was the first competitor up onto the buffalo's back.

_It's not over yet, _thought Elvis.

He gave a snarl, causing the buffalo to run faster. This made it more difficult for the buffalo to maintain its balance, and, consequently, it was loosening Guvu's grasp on the buffalo's flesh.

Elvis jumped up onto the buffalo's back and joined Guvu in the attack. It was now time for phase two of Shairi's strategy.

He jammed one set of his claws into the buffalo's side, causing it to slow down as it fell into a state of pain. Thanks to the decrease in speed, Guvu was able to regain his balance and he took another bite farther up the buffalo's neck, sinking his teeth in ever deeper.

Elvis snarled. Phase two had not worked to his advantage. Never mind…it was time for phase three…

Elvis could not afford for Guvu to get this buffalo, so he turned to drastic measures. He jammed his other set of frontal claws into the other side of the buffalo. As anticipated, the buffalo began to buck. The crowd gasped.

Guvu's eyes grew wide as he realized that they were in for a rocky ride. He had only been able to get half of what he knew he needed to do done, as far as killing this buffalo was concerned. Well, that worked for Elvis. The Dixieland lion was finally able to pull himself all the way up onto the buffalo's back and sink his jaw into the beast's neck. Guvu knew he was out ten points, but he didn't care. Right now, he just wanted to make sure that ten points would be the only thing that he would lose.

Elvis opened his eyes, and that's when Guvu knew that something was wrong. Elvis's blue eyes were not warm and friendly like he had grown to know them. Instead, his eyes had turned a more electric shade of blue: something colder and more sinister. His smile was something that he had not grown used too either. His white, pearly, triangular canines were shining in the moonlight as he gave Guvu one final smile…

Guvu never saw the paw that pushed him. All he knew was that, one second, he had been riding on the back of the buffalo with an extra set of ten points just inches away from his teeth. Now, he had lost all grip and traction, and he was sailing back over the buffalo's bucking rear hooves.

Two Siku Choka wins, four Siku Choka top fives, 1,238 points, hundreds of friends and thousands of fans…all of that meant nothing now. The buffalo's hooves kicked up and slammed upwards through Guvu's mane and into the soft part of his neck.

The lion was knocked out cold; his world was black. And, as he came crashing back down to the ground, Guvu was no more.

* * *

The Eastlands lionesses got up onto their feet.

"I think he's injured," one of them said. "Elvis got the buffalo, at the least."

"So should we wake Eboni?"

"I…I guess not…" her friend replied. "Guvu's not going to be pulling out any more points on her now. I think he's injured _bad…"_

"I—I'm worried he's a little bit _more_ than injured…" one of the other lionesses stammered.

Back out on the track, and a couple of the competitors had completely lost focus.

One lioness had spent about the last two minutes not moving a muscle. Her jaw was hanging and her brain was buzzing. Was she having a nightmare? Was that _really_ what she had just witnessed? Nala's heart sank. She'd heard enough. She'd seen enough. If this wasn't proof, she didn't know what was. The third greatest Siku Choka competitor of all time….gone. Untimely. Just like that. She couldn't quite believe it. She didn't want to believe it. She closed her eyes. She couldn't bring herself to believe it.

Yet…she knew she had to. And…she did.

Nala couldn't breathe. What _had_ she gotten herself into? She opened her eyes and looked back out across the track. Her skepticism had been growing all along, and now, it was undeniable:

_"Simba was right."_


	19. Chapter 19

"I think it was just an accident," said a cheetah, watching from the stands.

"Pushing a fellow competitor off a buffalo is _no_ accident," replied a hippo standing next to her.

"But this is only Elvis's second time. Perhaps he hasn't learned the true consequences of his actions yet."

"Hmm," replied the hippo, "you have a point."

The cheetah and the hippo were standing right from the track's edge on the frontstretch, and Simba and Juveda could hear every word that they were saying.

Simba shook his head. "Why are they defending him, Juveda? That was murder!"

"Well those bloody idiots don't know that, do they?" Juveda reasoned. "They haven't been able to connect the dots together like we have. None of the other competitors are going to think he's a murderer, they're just going to think the same as that cheetah up there."

"Well that may not be true," Simba replied. "I mentioned your theory to a few other lions. Winda, Shemshi, Shairi, Na—Nala!" Simba exclaimed, remembering his mate. He looked on farther down the track to make sure she was awake. She was. Surely she must have seen it? Simba groaned. "Oh no," he continued, "if Nala doesn't buy it by now, she never will. Going up there and talking to her about it isn't going to help anymore. She's going to think that I'm just rubbing it in her face…"

Suddenly, Simba heard a couple of footsteps approach him from behind. He and Juveda turned around to see who it was. To Simba, it was a face that he had grown all too familiar to.

"Y—you were right," stammered Shairi, her blue eyes now containing a much more watery appearance than usual. However, Simba noticed that she wasn't quite looking at him but, rather, she was looking at Juveda. "You were right all along…we all owe you a huge apology Juveda."

At this, Shairi hung her head. Then, within seconds, she had collapsed onto the floor with her face buried in her paws and tears streaming out from her eyes.

"H—he was my friend…" she babbled, "…he didn't have to die."

Simba's heart broke. Watching this lioness cry almost made him want to tear up. Never having really known Guvu, however, he was able to retain his composure. Simba crouched down onto the ground and put his paw over Shairi's back. He didn't dare move closer, however. He knew Nala was still in this game…

Meanwhile, Juveda took a step back away from the pair of them.

"Stupid emo slut," she muttered to herself.

* * *

"Let's move into position," Bilauri commanded.

"Huh?" Winda replied.

"Our ambushing post, Winda. We've still got a game to play…one of us should go get that buffalo. Let's put Guvu's death behind us, alright?"

"It wasn't a death, Bilauri. It was murder!"

"Whether it was or whether it wasn't, it doesn't make a difference right now. Elvis is nowhere around us and we've got some prey to chase. I know Guvu was probably a good acquaintance with you but, seriously, we're not going to win this game just by standing here."

Winda took a deep breath. Bilauri was right.

"Alright," she replied, "let's go."

* * *

"Either of you two going to go for this antelope?" asked Juveda, watching the creature pass on by them.

Shairi gave one final, large sniff and looked up at her. "No," she replied, "we hunt zebra only."

"Works for me, then," replied the lioness, and she gave chase.

Juveda knew that this antelope was a marvelous opportunity for her. She had been sitting in second with 272 points. This antelope would put her up to 282, essentially putting her into the lead ahead of the deceased Guvu.

Unfortunately for Juveda, she had virtually lost all of her energy and, as the chase for the antelope wore on, she just watched it run farther and farther away from her before it was ambushed by Nala.

Juveda slowed down from her run and stood over the Pridelands Queen and her kill.

"You want my advice?" she asked. "You'd better get your husband away from Shairi, they're getting a little too close for comfort back there."

Nala stood up from her kill, but she shook her head. "Shairi has had a history of working close with Guvu," Nala reasoned. "She's terribly upset that he's gone. I can't blame Simba for comforting her."

"Shairi had a history of working close with Guvu? Shairi has a history of working close with Shemshi. And now, they're going to say that she has a history of working close with your mate. Don't you see? That slut's all over every male that steps into this game."

"Because the males have strength, something that doesn't always come to us lionesses naturally. If you're going to pick a teammate, why not pick one that picks up where your weaknesses let off? I can't blame her for picking Simba as her teammate." At this, Nala gave a deep sigh, and then changed the subject. "But I shouldn't be arguing with you Juveda. I should be thanking you. You were right about Elvis and…well…if it weren't for you, I may not be making it to the end of this game alive."

Juveda let Nala's words run in through one ear, and out the other. She didn't really have anything to say to this. She moved back into her ambushing post.

"You look worn out," Nala added. "Perhaps you should go to sleep?"

"Don't you dare tell me how to play this bloody game," Juveda replied. "I'm getting a piece of prey. I'm not sleeping until I have the lead from Guvu."

Nala turned away from Juveda and shook her head.

_That's a bad strategic call,_ she told herself, _Juveda's going to be awake a looooong time…_

* * *

"I wish Shemshi would man up and wake up," Bilauri stated, "he'd be able to get this buffalo down for us easily."

Winda glared at her. "So…I guess that's your way of saying you don't want to go for the buffalo?"

"Feel like you're up for it?" Bilauri replied.

"I'll give it a shot."

"Okay then…and Winda…" Bilauri said, causing Winda to delay her chase a bit longer, "…please don't get injured again."

* * *

"Good evening Madam."

Nala whirled around. "Zazu?" she asked, seeing Simba's majordomo standing next to the track edge. "Came to relay a message to me?"

"Well, I guess you could say that," the hornbill replied. "Your mother instructed me that I should fly down here and check that you were mentally okay. She says that you were a big supporter of Guvu and she knew that you may be a little upset about the accident."

"A—accident?" Nala stammered. "Zazu, Elvis pushed Guvu off! Did you not see it?"

"I did Madam, but your Mom is watching with Tumaini, who said that it was Elvis who injured her earlier. She believes that Elvis's inexperience is what has contributed to the two incidents."

"There's been much more than two, Zazu! Peponi, Linda, Tonka, Shemshi, Winda…heck, even myself! We've all been injured today because of Elvis's antics out here!"

Zazu's eyes widened. This was all new news to him.

Nala took a deep sigh. "I should've seen this coming…he even told me that he would make sure Guvu didn't score points. I just never listened to Simba."

Zazu wasn't quite sure how to respond. He brushed his wings together trying to think of the right words to say. "Ma'am…I—I…"

"Just _GO!"_ Nala commanded, blowing Zazu off of his feet. Zazu lifted his wings up and soared away, off to deliver his discoveries to the Pridelands.

* * *

Bilauri got the buffalo and Winda got the antelope. Shairi wiped the final tear away from her eye in time to bring the zebra down to the ground. Three new pieces of prey were released in front of Bilauri and Winda.

"Pick a favorite," said Bilauri.

"Antelope."

"Zebra."

And so, as the prey passed, the two lionesses went for their respective pieces of prey, while the buffalo ran on by them but was soon ambushed by Simba. All three lions were successful in their hunts, and three new pieces of prey were released out onto the track.

However, before the prey could make its way down the frontstretch as pickings for the ambushers, they would most likely be chased down by Elvis, who was now running out of the final turn.

Simba made his way back towards the outside of the track. He lifted his eyes up to see who he would be lined up next to in ambush. He quickly broke his eye contact though; he still wasn't quite sure what the right words were or, for that matter, if there were any right words at all, for him to say to his mate.

Instead, the Pridelands King just made his way up and parked himself next to her, waiting in ambush.

Nala looked over at her mate. She read the expressions in his face and she could tell that he was conflicted. She knew her mate well enough to be able to understand why. She turned a slight bit away from him and took a deep breath. It was evident that she was going to have to start this conversation.

"You have nothing to fear, Simba," she said. "You can say anything. You can stand here and rant at me for three hours, if you'd like. Honestly…I deserve it. It won't accomplish much though. You've already won me over." Nala rolled her eyes over towards him and let the sides of her mouth twitch.

Slowly, it began to dawn on Simba what Nala was saying. She believed him! Simba pulled a paw out and embraced his mate in a hug. Nala buried her head into his mane and, instantly, Simba felt his mane dampen from her tears. As Simba felt one knot loosen in his stomach, another one tightened. True, it was great news that Nala was no longer deceived by Elvis's tactical ways and desirable charm…but that was where the good news ended. If they had now concluded that Elvis was a murderer…well…that meant they now knew they were out on the track with a murderer. True, they could turn away now and walk safely back to their daughter. Elvis would have no reason to try and hurt them then; they would not be a threat. But that was never going to happen. Simba knew that, and he didn't even have to ask Nala in order to know it. Fact was, he didn't want to quit either. He wasn't just about to give up. That hadn't worked with Scar, so why should it work with this lion? Elvis wasn't worth any more than what his uncle was, anyways. The only question Simba had left and, for that matter, Nala did too, was…

"What do I do now?"

Simba remained silent, trying to think of a reasonable answer to his mate's question. Nala sniffed and lifted her head out of his mane.

"If Elvis gets a whiff of the fact that I know the truth…well, I don't know what he'll think. He'll probably play it down as being 'just an accident.' I could try and talk with him and try to persuade him to play cleanly, but the risks would be too high if I failed. I—I don't want to give in, Simba. I want to win. But I feel that my life is too high of a price to risk," Nala finished. Neither of them could help but think of Kiara.

Simba turned his head towards the left. He could see him. The Devil in Disguise was pacing his way down the frontstretch, slowly closing in on the three pieces of prey in front of him. There were still lionesses cheering in the stands for him, admiring his black mane and the way it hung over the front of his face. Honestly, to Simba, it was almost as if nothing had changed about him from the beginning of the event. He looked at him and couldn't help but confess that, yes, he did have a certain charm to him as far as male lions went. Yet, deep down inside Simba had always had held some skepticism. Towards the beginning of the game, he had never really been fond of Elvis, yet that had been his own fault and he had been forced to contain those emotions within himself. Now, he had a reason to not like him, and a very good reason at that. To an extent, it almost felt as if a giant restraint had been lifted off of his muzzle, and now he was free to critique and attack Elvis. The problem was, he just wasn't quite sure how to do so…

"We can't banish him, can we?" Nala asked.

Simba shook his head 'no.'

"The Siku Choka organizers own this plot of land for the duration of the event," Simba reminded her. "In order to get rid of a competitor, they have to have broken one of the Siku Choka rules."

"Yeah, I figured that," Nala replied. She sighed. "So…you got any plans?"

_No,_ was the correct answer, but Simba wasn't quite prepared to say that. He had been thinking of one minor plan…

"I threaten him," Simba stated. "I tell him that if…"

"You lost me at threaten," Nala interjected. Her tone was sincere. "Simba, if that's the best plan you've got, then you haven't got a plan."

"Well have _you?"_ Simba retorted.

Nala shrugged. "I play dumb," she replied. "I accept his lie that it was an accident, and see what happens."

Nala looked up at her mate. His expression said nothing, but she hadn't expected it to. She knew what he was thinking. _That's the best you've got? I don't like it._

"I don't like it either," Nala said, continuing their telepathic conversation.

Simba groaned. "B—"

"Be careful, I know."

Simba nodded. That wasn't good enough for him but, he knew, that was the best he was going to get for now.

* * *

Elvis crept on by the buffalo and antelope, allowing himself to have a clear shot at the zebra. He charged it down and easily took it down for the kill. However, he wasn't done yet. Elvis got back up onto his feet and began charging down the other two pieces of prey.

Bilauri and Winda had run out from their ambushing posts and were now charging down the prey too.

Bilauri set herself up on the antelope while Winda went for the buffalo. However, as soon as Winda saw that Elvis had committed himself to getting the buffalo down too, she backed off.

Elvis took the ten points while Winda brought herself to a halt and lined up in ambush on the outside of the track. Elvis got up from his kill and walked over to join her.

"Ah'm a l'il surprised you gave in there, Ma'am," he sung.

Winda returned a forced smile. "Well…uh…I thought it was too big for me anyways. So, once I saw you going for it, I gave in," she lied.

"Ah, you're strong Winda. If you ev'r see me going for a buffalo, Ah'm sure you could bring it down just as well. Don't be afraid."

"Oh…not at all," Winda replied hastily. "I'll tell you now though that I'm quite far behind in points…probably not a threat to win at this rate."

"Well yeh won't win if yeh keep giving in," Elvis reasoned. He turned around, facing the other way from Winda, and looked on farther down the track.

Winda shuddered.

* * *

Bilauri had been successful in her hunt as well and now three new pieces of prey were released.

"Ah, the wait," groaned Timon, watching the three pieces of prey sluggishly walk on down the straight. "Sometimes I don't get how you could stay awake through all this, huh Pumbaa?"

Timon looked over towards his warthog friend. The pig was sleeping on his back, snoring loudly.

"Point proven."

"You know Timon, there's plenty of other stuff to do around here," Sarafina reasoned.

Tumaini chuckled. "Yeah, one thing I like to do is look around at all the spectators. I like seeing diversity…some animals travel quite far to get here. Look at that panther over there!"

The group turned and tried looking for a large black cat. However, the panther that Tumaini had spotted had colorings that more closely resembled a lion. She had already seen the group herself though, and was on their way towards them. The Pridelanders couldn't help but notice that she almost tripped over herself a couple of times.

"Well look at this!" she exclaimed, before hiccupping, "I never thought I'd ever get to meet the royal family of the royal Pridelands family. How do you all do, you?" she asked, before hiccupping again.

"Um…we're fine…" replied Sarafina, slightly concerned.

"Eh…you _may_ want to lay off the rainberries…" Tumaini suggested.

Timon shuddered at the word. He'd hated collecting rainberries for the spectators at their last Siku Choka…

"Yeah, they all told me that, but I said I hadn't been lying on them, I'd been eating them," the panther replied. She chuckled. "Lying? Huh. You know, I've got colorings like you lions. Once I told that to a friend, and they said 'you're not lying!' and it was funny because I wasn't lying but I wasn't lion either…you know, like you guys, though I look like you."

"Yeah, we get it," Timon replied, not that impressed. "Puns are the lowest forms of jokes, you know that?"

"Aw, now you're a cute li'l fella, ain't yeh?" asked the panther, patting Timon hard on the head and messing up his hair. "You're a bit moody though, perhaps you should try some rainberries?" she suggested, before hiccupping again.

Timon shuddered.

"Well, it was nice meeting you all, name's Isabella by the way. I'm just sitting on down the hillside there, though I like to stand when the action gets exciting but my friends tell me to sit or else I'll fall…" she reasoned, before hiccupping again, "…well, bye!" she exclaimed.

"Bye," chorused the Pridelanders, happy to see her go.

"See," said Tumaini, signaling back down to the track, "…and now the prey's caught up with the competitors. Time can pass quickly, huh?"

* * *

Winda was the first competitor lined up in ambush. Thus, she had three pieces of prey to pick from.

_I'm not going for the buffalo if Elvis is lined up behind me_.

Thus, she was able to narrow it down to two pieces. She eventually decided on the antelope, determining that there would be much more competition for the zebra.

Elvis went for the buffalo…as did nobody else. Most of the other competitors were quite skeptical of him by this point.

So, Simba and Juveda went for the zebra.

Simba was up on its back first but Juveda was close on the zebra's hind heels. However, she had an extra boost of determination right now. She wasn't stupid: she knew that her energy was draining from her. And, now that Simba was on the zebra's back and, consequently, was slowing it down, now was the perfect opportunity for her to strike.

She did so….and wound up being ten points richer. Juveda was now the new leader in the Siku Choka!

"Finally," she muttered.

Meanwhile, Winda had failed on her antelope chase and the prey had ran on into the clutches of Lenny, while Elvis had emerged triumphant in his buffalo hunt and was now making his way over to line up in ambush…next to Nala.

"Looks like our Lenny wants to log another lap," Elvis noted, watching the flimsier lion run a lap around the track. He turned his eyes farther on down the straight. "And Juveda is going to sleep, we may have a good opportunity soon here, Nala."

"We may," Nala agreed, trying to not let the hatred, anger and fear of Elvis that she had right now, show. "I suppose it also makes it easier now that Guvu has…well…you know…"

Elvis sighed. "Yeah, it was a shame about that, really," he replied.

Nala closed her eyes. She was trying to visualize a happy place…perhaps that would take her mind away from her anger at Elvis.

"Ah mean, Ah guess I am to blame. I did push him off."

Nala reopened her eyes, bewildered. She looked up at Elvis.

"Y—you did?" she stammered.

_Why did he just confess that?_

"Well yeah," Elvis replied, looking at her back with a similarly perplexed glance. "Ah thought it would've been pretty obvious."

Nala didn't quite know what to say about this. Elvis was owning up to murder…and he was doing it while standing right next to her.

"W—why?" Nala stammered, in the same confused tone.

"Well Ah didn't mean for him to get injured," Elvis replied hastily. "Ah mean, we push competitors off of antelope and zebra all the time. Ah didn't think it would be that bad, doing it off of a buffalo. Evidently and…uh…rather unfortunately…I was wrong. Ah'm not going to do it again. I just pray that Guvu is blessed upstairs and that his family will be able to cope."

Nala's eyes were affixed to Elvis's. She could find no trace of dishonesty within him. Finally, her senses came to her and she snapped her eyes shut.

_Don't listen to him, Nala. Remember what you promised to Simba, you're not going to buy his lies…_

"M—Ma'am…" stammered Elvis, concerned, "are you okay?"

Nala reopened her eyes. She continued to look into his, but she would not allow herself to become entranced within them again.

"I—I agree," she stated. "I hope his blessed too. I hope they'll all be okay. But you're right, Elvis. You should _never_ be going around pushing competitors off of buffalos…that's how accidents like those happen," Nala explained, dropping her ears at the thought of Guvu's demise.

"Ah've learned that now, Ma'am," Elvis restated. "But thanks for the advice."

* * *

"Hi Zazu!" exclaimed Sarafina, welcoming the hornbill as he arrived back up on the hillside.

"Urgent news Madam, sorry I couldn't get here sooner…but Nala believes that Guvu's death was _murder!"_ shrieked Zazu, though he tried to keep his voice down so that the other prides couldn't hear.

Sarafina looked on down the track to where Nala was talking with Elvis. She didn't buy it.

"Zazu, we know Elvis is new, but…"

"She gave me a list of names, Madam, of competitors who have been injured by Elvis today. Peponi, Linda, Tonka, Shemshi, Winda…and even she, herself, had been injured by him. She seems to think that it's a little more than a coincidence."

Zazu had got the attention of every Prideland resident…including Pumbaa, who had now woken up.

"I—I…" Sarafina stammered.

"Go get the carcass," Tumaini stated.

"What?" Sarafina asked. "Tumaini, we just ate."

"No, I mean go get the buffalo carcass from Guvu's death," Tumaini explained. "Maybe it will explain more about what happened."

"Well you might want to hurry up about it," advised Timon, watching the three current pieces of prey walk on down towards where the competitors were lined up in ambush. "It looks like they're about to chase the prey around the track, again."

* * *

**(A/N: Well I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, and remember to re-**

**Nala: Machungwa****63...what do you have to say for yourself?**

**A/N: About what?**

**Nala: You know what I'm talking about. The cross-promotion?**

**A/N: Oh, like you can talk. You and Simba were both in "Fantasia 2000" in the Noah's Ark scene**

**Nala: That wasn't my choice. Disney asked me to do it and we were running low on funds...we needed the money**

**A/N: *Sighs* Okay...confession time. I have began writing a story on called "Snakesss." It started as an idea at college when I said to my friend, why are there no animated movies with snakes as the protagonists? Anyhow, we've created a plot and the characters and it's based in Big Cypress National Preserve in Florida. Therefore, one of the characters is a drunken Florida Panther by the name of...**

**Isabella: Hey, what's-a going on in here? Is this a promotion for our story? You all were leaving me out! Anyhow, yeah, you should read the story because it has me in it and a lot of snakes which is why it's called "Snakesss" and it has those extra esses on the end because they speak funny, the snakes do. Unfortunately I have no jokes about snakes.**

**A/N: Let's consider that a good thing. Anyhow, feel free to check it out! And apologies if you don't like cross-promotions. I'll be sure to keep working on this story too!)**


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